Saga of the Crimson Fox
by Storm Wolf77415
Summary: 2301 AD, a strange, advanced mobile suit appears in the sky over the Republic of Krugis, a year later, a second mobile suit crashes in the back country of Montana. The journey of two men begins here.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Gundam 00 belongs to Sunrise studios. Mark Lamperouge is mine.

Saga of the Crimson Fox

By Storm Wolf77415

Prologue

Republic of Krugis, 2301 AD

Small figures clutching battered assault rifles and wearing tattered clothes scurried among the dusty streets. A formation of MSER-04 Anfs clomped through shattered ruins. Shooting at anything that moved.

"_This battle is a holy war in the name of God, we shall strike down the infidels who disrespect our traditions…"_ a deep voice drawled.

One little boy, dove behind the remains of a low wall, as a battle equipped workloader exploded near him. The weapon he held his only shield against the world. One Anf loomed over him.

"In this world…there is no God!" He muttered, listening to the comments and proclamations being made. He started running, firing his rifle. A spray of bullets made him leap for cover behind another wall. The Anf loomed like a harbinger of death. He prepared for the end.

A lance of pink energy shot from the sky, spearing the Anf and destroying it. nine more shots followed and nine more Anfs met the same end.

The boy crawled out of his hiding spot to see his savior. It was a mobile suit painted in a basic white and silver, surrounded by a magnificent green aura. To the boy it was the most beautiful sight in the world. To the boy known as Soran Ibrahim, his life was changed forever that day…

Renquist Air Station, Montana, United States of America, Union of Free Energy and Nations, 2302 AD

"Welcome to Dullsville, Montana, population, us." One soldier grunted.

"Got that right," his buddy said, eliciting grunts and groans from the other men around the card table in the rundown guard shack. The Renquist Air Station was considered by many to be the place where military careers died, the castoffs, the loose cannons, the rejects who shouldn't be wearing the uniform at all, but not willing to cut them off completely, were all sent there. It contained a small research station, but even the scientists and engineers there had little to do.

A thirty one year old man, with dull brown eyes, messy brown hair, wearing a disheveled, untucked, uniform of a Rear Admiral (Lower Half) entered the room.

"Admiral Lamperouge, Sir!" They all stood up at attention, even though there was no real need for it. The one good thing about the dead end posting was the commander of the base. Rear Admiral Mark Lamperouge truly was a soldier who had not forgotten his roots and wasn't afraid to mix with the lower ranks, joining the weekly poker game held every Tuesday.

"As you all were gentlemen. You all know better tonight I'm not an admiral, I'm just another soldier like you guys, deal me in boys!" The soldiers all relaxed and started shooting the breeze. Mark got up to get another beer when the entire room started shaking.

"What the hell is that!" he said. He ran outside to see what appeared to be a meteor streaking down from the stars. It came within inches of hitting the base before crashing a few hundred yards away, leaving a large swath through the earth.

"Get a search party together!" Mark slipped into command mode. Seven of the Admiral's best men piled with him into two battered old Hummers and went to investigate the scene. A nasty fifty yard swath in the dirt marred the Montana landscape. Trees ripped out of the ground, bushes turned to cinders.

It was a mobile suit laying face down, it's once pristine armor was scorched and blackened from the reentry into the planet's atmosphere.

"Is it…alien?" One soldier asked to no one in particular.

"That's not one of ours, Admiral. And it sure doesn't belong to the AEU or HRL!" One soldier commented. Mark walked up to it, tentatively, cautiously placing his hand on the side.

"Let's get this thing back to base…gentlemen, I think our stock in life just got a big boost!" For the men of Renquist Air Station, life had changed forever that day.

Author's Notes: My first Gundam 00 story. I've wanted to do this for awhile now, and we'll see how this turns out.


	2. Celestial Being Rising

Disclaimer: Alex Strassimeier is Dragoon Swordsman's. Mark Lamperouge is mine.

Saga of the Crimson Fox

By Storm Wolf77415

Celestial Being Rising

It's the twenty fourth Century. To prevent the last of Earth's fossil fuels from being depleted the United Nations issued a global wide ban, giving rise to the use of solar energy. A massive solar power relay traverses the entire planet, the centerpiece being the three massive orbital elevators controlled by the three power blocs formed by the nations of the Earth after the devastating Solar Wars in the mid to late 23rd century. The Union of Free Energy and Nations, built around the United States. The Advanced European Union, consisting of much of Western and Central Europe, and the Human Reform League, built up from the combination of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China. Even now, in the year 2307AD, humanity is still at each other's throats.

Lake Victoria Military Base, Uganda, AEU, 2307

A dry wind whipped across the lake, the yet incomplete La Tour Orbital Elevator rose towards the heavens. It was the perfect backdrop for the test trial of the AEU's newest mobile suit, the AEU-09 Enact. A large urban street course was set up. The Enact was dancing about, floating just above the asphalt streets as it picked off the targets one by one. A large crowd was on hand to observe the proceedings, including a Japanese man wearing glasses, his long brown hair tied in a pony tail.

A blonde haired man in a dark blue suit strolled leisurely down the steps of the bleachers. "Enjoying the show, Billy?"

"Don't tell me the great Graham Aker of the Union Navy is scared?" Billy Katagiri teased back.

"So this is the AEU's new Enact?" Graham remarked, watching the Enact shoot out two target balloons, as a wave of autocannons fired back, deflected by the spinning defense rod.

"It's just a knockoff of our Flag model. They both can draw solar power directly from the orbital array. The only differences between them are cosmetic in nature. The AEU's putting a lot of stock in this new machine. It's no coincidence they're debuting it on the same day of the tenth anniversary celebration of the Human Reform League's elevator." Billy finished as the Enact took out three more targets with its linear rifle.

"It is quite formidable…I wish I could say the same for the pilot. What was the AEU Council thinking letting Colasseur test it? He's not exactly known for his common sense," Graham remarked.

"Hey! I heard that!" A loud, indignant voice came from the bluish green mobile suit. The cockpit folded out revealing a young man with bright red hair, eyes blazing at the blonde lieutenant. Patrick Colasseur was one of the rising stars of the AEU Armed Forces, the greatest ace of the AEU, according to him at least. His ego chafed with more than a few of the higher ups, "You wanna come up here and say that to my face, Aker? I've got over 2000 simulated combat victories under my belt! Don't fuck with the ace of the AEU!"

"It seems the audio pickups are good. Don't encourage him, Graham!" Billy pleaded, but the blonde paid his friend no heed, standing up, smirking at the redhead.

"Oh really? I was under the impression that title belonged to Colonel Strassmeier! You know…your boss?" Graham shot back. Lieutenant Colonel Alex Strassmeier was indeed the finest pilot in Europe. He earned the name "Silver Spider" for his silver painted AEU-05 Hellion and his famed "Spider's Web" tactic. Most people who met the Colonel were put off by his cool demeanor and the bizarre helmet shaped mask which covered most of his head and face. Graham considered Berlin's greatest son a friendly rival of sorts, Alex saw him as little more than an annoyance. "Don't get me wrong, you're a great pilot, Patrick, but I believe the good Colonel has actual combat experience!"

"THAT DOES IT, AKER! GET YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE FLAG SO I CAN MOP WITH THE FLOOR WITH YOU AND SHOW YOU WHAT THE ENACT CAN REALLY DO! SCREW STRASSMEIER! I'll PROVE I'M THE BETTER OF US!" Patrick shook his fist angrily.

"Oh really, Lieutenant?" An authoritative voice ordered. A second Enact gracefully flew overhead, transformed, and landed. The cockpit extended open, revealing the Silver Spider himself in all his glory, clad in a silver flightsuit trimmed in black, only his lower jaw exposed thanks to the hawklike helmet. "I'd like to see you try!"

"C-colonel Strassmeier! I wasn't expecting you to be here!" Patrick's voice cracked. He respected the Spider, but not being able to see the man's eyes sent chills down his spine.

Alex just shook his head, "Somehow I not surprised you'd be making trouble. Your recklessness is a disgrace to the service, Colasseur. If you do anything to that prototype, it's your head." He then directed his attention to Graham. "Lieutenant Aker, please do not antagonize my subordinate. That's a twenty billion euro machine he's piloting, I'd hate to see it destroyed due to his own stupidity."

As the arguing continued, a sleek metallic titan slid down through the atmosphere, "2208, Exia on approach to target. Commence GN particle dispersal," The young man clad in blue spoke in a clear monotone. The crowd stood up in amazement at the white and blue mobile suit, landing near the two Enacts.

"Where did that come from?" Alex asked. "That's not one of ours!"

The Commander tried to radio the tower, but there was only static. He then turned to the Enact. "Enact, come in Enact? Colonel Strassmeier respond!"

"That light…Could it?" Graham said to Billy. "We have to report this to the Admiral when we get back. He'll find this very interesting."

"It would explain where it came from." Billy concluded.

"What the?" Patrick said, at the static squawking in his ear.

"The cockpit slid back inside, "So who are you with? The Union? The HRL? It doesn't matter to me! I'm Patrick Colasseur! The ace of the AEU! I've never lost a simulated match! Cause I'm just that special!" Patrick leered, pulling out a sonic blade and turning it to full blast.

"That idiot!" the commander groaned. Alex was quick to realize what the impulsive young pilot was about to do.

"Patrick, don't you dare! This is a direct order! Do NOT engage that thing. We don't know what it's capable of!" Alex warned. Patrick just blew him off. He lunged at Exia, ready to plunge the blade right through the cockpit in one blow. Not moving, Exia's arm mounted blade snapped open. It whistled through the air, cleaving off the hand containing the weapon.

"How dare you!" Patrick roared, squeezing off a quick shot from the linear rifle, Exia just dodged it, brandishing the blade again, for a quick downward slash, the other arm was slashed off, the linear rifle clattering across the ground, "Don't you know who I am! I'm Patrick Colasseur!" The armless mobile suit fumbled about, vainly trying to get at its opponent, Exia's response was to cleave off the head, "I'm SPECIAL!" The battered machine tumbled to the ground.

Alex just shook his head in frustration. "He only has himself to blame." He then redirected his attention to the Exia, "He took out our most advanced mobile suit without getting scratched. I must say, he's quite good." Alex concluded.

"Hey! What about me?" Patrick said indignantly.

"You were ordered not to engage but you did. Let that be a lesson in never underestimating your opponent. The only reason you're still breathing is because the pilot of that machine deliberately spared you." Alex spoke to the younger man as parent would scold a child. Alex's Enact rose into the air and took off after Exia. "Whatever that machine is, it's powerful, far more so than the Enact, I may not last long, but I'm not going to just let him leave without a fight!" He opened fire with his linear rifle.

Setsuna looked over his shoulder. "The second Enact, he should have just left well enough alone. Exia eliminating target." The GN Blade unfolded and swooped towards the Spider for a downward swing, Alex avoided it by transforming the Enact into flight mode, swooping away from the white mobile suit. The Enact transformed again, squeezing off two more shots.

Exia's blade folded back, revealing a small beam rifle mounted on the hand guard. Three magenta bursts erupted from the barrel. The Defense rod spun, creating a plasma field which shielded the Enact from the two blasts, the last one burned off the shoulder armor.

The massive blade flipped out again, making a move to cleave the Enact in half, reflexes honed by experience allowed Alex to whip out a plasma sword. The two blades hit. "Melee's not my strong suit!" He remarked, parrying the heavier blade.

The blade cut deep, taking off the arm, and head, Alex decided he had enough and turned and flew off.

"Command, this is Strassmeier, I've engaged the intruder mobile suit. Be advised it's several degrees stronger than my own machine. It's also equipped specifically for melee combat, my advice is to take it out at range."

"Understood, Colonel Strassmeier, RTB. A Hellion squadron is inbound, they'll take care of it." A team of six AEU-05 Hellions started engaging Exia. Produced in massive quantities and exported outside of the AEU member states, the Hellion found its way into the hands of several terrorist groups, who found it a big step up from the cumbersome and near obsolete Anf.

The Hellions opened rapid fire on Exia, gracefully dodging and weaving through the fire. A flight of Hellions flew down from the tower.

"We were right. They were hiding forces in the elevator itself!" Setsuna observed, started firing at the incoming Hellions. Exia gracefully accelerated, snapping the blade open again, and slashing off a Hellion's wing.

"Lockon…enemies approaching…enemies approaching!" the Orange Haro beeped, popping its flaps excitedly. The tall, lanky man clad in a dark green flightsuit, stretched out in the pilot seat.

"Heh, looks like Setsuna needs help. Alright, Lockon Stratos! Ready to debut with Gundam Dynames! Sniping targets!" He grasped a gun shaped control in his hand, peering through a view scope. The dark green Gundam Dynames took its massive sniper rifle, and opened fire. Pink lances shot into the clear blue sky, striking down the Hellions.

Setsuna stopped to note Lockon's handiwork as Exia slashed another Hellion out of the sky. "That's Lockon." A few more shots from the Dynames cleared the sky, and the two Gundams departed.

Tenchu Orbital Elevator, High Orbital Station

"Would you like a drink, miss?" A waiter asked, a trim petite figure wearing a backless purple cheongsam. His heart fluttered as the figure turned around, revealing a cute, Chinese girl with playful eyes, curvy hips, and a very large, perky, chest. The majority of her midnight black hair done up in buns with two small braids trailing down the back.

"Oh yes, thank you!" she said with a bright smile. The waiter didn't meant to stare, but the beauty in front of him was really hard to ignore. She giggled. "I think it's a sign of a real man who isn't afraid to blush!"

Tenchu Orbital Elevator, Command Center

"Nothing appearing on the scope right now sir," One of the technicians reported.

"Well, we still have a lot of dignitaries and VIPs present here for the party. Keep your guard up," the station commander remarked.

"We have incoming mobile suits!" One technician called. "It's a squad of Hellions! They've got missile launchers."

"Launch all Tieren squadrons!" the commander barked. The klaxons sounded, pilots racing to their machines. Among them was Colonel Sergei Smirnov, legendary as the "Wild Bear of Russia" during the Fourth Solar War.

"They're Hellions! Damn the AEU! They'll sell weapons to any tin pot nation!" Sergei grunted as he pulled on his flightsuit.

"But sir, I've only had 79 hours of simulation time in space combat!" One young pilot said hesitantly.

"Then if it comes to it, crash into them!" the commander snapped, hopping into his Tieren Space type. He and two others flew out of the station towards the terrorists.

"Sir, we're all on our own!" One pilot complained as they opened fire at the Hellions. The dark green machines came into firing distance, the missiles headed for their target.

"Damn it!" the lead Tieren wasn't fast enough to reach it in time.

A succession of pink beams lanced out, eviscerating several of the terrorist machines. An orange and white machine flew by, destroying the missiles before any of them could connect with the orbital station.

"What the?" the station commander said in surprise. One by one the displays in the control room went blank.

"Comms are down! Radar is down!" One of the operators called out. "We're not getting anything."

"I won't let you harm these people."

In the ballroom, the partygoers underwent the same experience as their personal terminals and phones blinked out. "What's this all about?" One partygoer said. Wang Liu Mei stood in the corner, a smug expression on her pretty features.

"It's a Gundam…Gundam Kyrios" Wang Liu Mei replied. The orange winged mobile suit streaked by the orbital station. Kyrios transformed, and started blasting the remaining Hellions.

"I won't let you harm these people!" Allejujah Haptism, the orange clad pilot of Gundam Kyrios declared, opening firing with his rifle once again. Soon only one Hellion remained, it aimed straight for the station.

"It's going to ram us!" one of the controllers said in fear.

"Oh no you don't! Tieria!" Allelujah called out.

A large bulky black and white mobile suit, armed with a large cannon, dropped in front of the command center. "Tieria Erde, Virtue eliminating target." The man in the purple flightsuit spoke in a cold monotone. The cannon split open, a deep whirring started within the mechanical behemoth, a massive beam roared out, completely vaporizing the Hellion.

Everyone on the orbital station could only gaze in awe at the two mighty war machines and how quickly they had dealt with the enemy machines. All the monitors immediately shifted to the image of man in his late fifties wearing a black suit, and half of a pair of eyeglasses on his face.

"We are Celestial Being, we are a private armed organization armed with the mobile weapon, Gundam." The man spoke in a deep, clear voice. "We are dedicated to eradication of war through armed force." He continued the message for the whole world to hear, The office of the council of the Advanced European Union in Brussels, the Chairman of the Human Reform League in Beijing, and the President of the Union in Washington D.C. Monitors all over the world bore the image of the mysterious man. And everyone watched…

Deserted island in the South Atlantic

"Well, this is it." Lockon observed, as he to the younger man.

"The world will change…for we are the Gundam Meisters of Celestial Being." Setsuna remarked.

Tenchu Orbital Elevator, Car 4

Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long were on the elevator back down to the planet's surface.

"It's begun, mistress," Hong Long spoke, as she settled back in her seat.

"Indeed it has. Exia, Dynames, Kyrios, and Virtue, All of Celestial Being's Gundams have been unveiled. And it's also time to prepare our ace in the hole." She dialed a number on her terminal. "Mr. Anderson, have you paying attention?"

"Yes ma'am, I've been watching everything through Vega." A cultured voice spoke on the other end of the line.

"You have a green light to begin operations. I'm counting on you." Liu Mei said in a flirty tone.

Unknown location

"Understood ma'am, I'll start shadowing the Ptolemaios." The voice of the man known as Anderson spoke before he closed the comlink.

"If she only knew the truth about what we were really about," A second voice remarked with a derisive snort, the dim light catching his glasses. "I don't trust her, boss. She seems like a shameless opportunist who wouldn't hesitate to sell us out if she thought it would improve her own standing."

"I know, Reaper. But this was the best way to connect with the rest of the organization. Right now we have to play the fool in order to carry out our objectives. The Ptolemaios crew can't know we exist yet."

"It's really happening isn't it boss?" another voice, this of an Asian accent replied.

"Indeed it is, Hawk…Celestial Being has taken center stage…and now the work of Cell Three has also begun."


	3. Ceylon Strike

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Saga of the Crimson Fox

By Storm Wolf77415

Ceylon Strike

(Pentagon, Washington D.C., Union of Free Energy and Nations)

The whole world was abuzz with the dramatic debut of Celestial Being. Every nation of the world was weary of their claim of armed interventions. The Union was especially concerned of attacks on any of their interests. The Joint Chiefs of Staff had met at the Pentagon to discuss the issue. It was going about as well as could be expected…

"Who do these people think they are, saying they're calling for the total eradication of war? That's just not how it works at all!" The four-star army general serving as the Chairman fumed at the pretentious claim Celestial Being had made earlier.

"Perhaps not, but with their technology…it could happen. It's light years ahead of our very best." A three navy vice admiral surmised. "It took apart the AEU's new Enact in short order. I'm afraid to admit it, but I'm certain the Flag would fare just as well against them, which is not very well."

Air Force Major General Joseph Winston snapped, banging his hand on the table. "I can't believe you're all talking like this! We haven't lost yet! I'll tell you what we need to do! We need to get our hands on that technology for ourselves! If the HRL or AEU get to it first, it would completely tip the balance of power against us." "Mr. Chairman, Give me the word and I can mobilize our entire force! These pretenders won't know what hit them!"

Marine Four Star General Andrew Forrest, the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shook his head, He was long weary of Winston's warlike attitude and unwilling to let him have anymore power than already did as head of Air Force Intelligence, not to mention a deep hand in Research and Development, "And then people will say we're acting like a bunch of greedy warmongers. I'm sorry, General Winston, that's not what the Corps stands for. I cannot agree with that at all."

"I couldn't agree more with General Forrest." Mark, in full dress uniform, strode into the chamber with purpose. "General Winston's plan has 'failure' written all over it. The minute we make any kind of overt move to attack Celestial Being, they will leap on us the first chance they get! There's no telling what kind of other weapons these people have. For all we know we they could have some kind of massive orbital cannon that could level Washington with one shot. Do you really want to take that risk…sir?" Mark gave a smug grin as Winston smoldered.

"How DARE you show your face here? You're supposed to be manning that little collection of shacks out in the boonies you call a base with your crew of has-beens! You have no place here in Washington at all, much less in this room, Lamperouge! Leave this to the REAL officers!" He hissed.

"As much as I hate using this line, I can make an exception this time around. With all due respect, General Winston…fuck you!" Mark shot back. A full blown shouting match started between Winston and the Crimson Fox. And eventually everyone was getting in on the act. Winston was rather unpopular with the other Joint Chiefs.

The chairman banged his gavel. "Order! ORDER! Gentlemen, I will not let this turn into a sideshow! Admiral, I suggest you mind your words in the future. Why are you here?"

"Well Mr. Chairman, my visit is actually related to General Winston's plan. Flawed as it may be, it does have merits. Celestial Being's technology is very advanced and adding it to our own tech base would only benefit us in the long run. What I propose is this, gentlemen. We create a special task force with the express purpose of capturing one or more of the Gundams. We bring together the best scientists and engineers in all of the Union, along with the best pilots the U.S. has to offer. And when they launch one of their armed interventions into our territory. We bounce them, beat them down, and drag 'em back to Renquist for study, simple, easy, done."

All the chiefs talked amongst themselves, before the Chairman spoke again. "Your idea has great merits, Admiral Lamperouge. How soon can you have this task force up and running?"

"To recruit pilots and adjust the Flags? I'd give it about three months time." Mark replied. "As for the commander of the unit, there's only one man I'd trust with the job."

Winston snorted. "You mean, Aker? It figures! Mavericks will always associate with other mavericks. If you ask me, Admiral, you'd be better off with someone who actually follows orders, like Joshua Edwards. I guarantee he'd be the one to bag a Gundam. I'd dare say it would warrant giving him a two rank promotion."

Mark wasn't buying it at all, "Uh huh…and the fact that he's your nephew, and can pass information onto you means nothing?" The Fox rolled his eyes, "Also that he hates Graham with a raging passion and would take any opportunity to antagonize him? I'm not blind, General Winston. I suggest you watch yourself in the future, a fox may not be the biggest, or meanest animal in the woods, but we're damn dangerous when cornered! You keep that mind…sir. Mr. Chairman, I take my leave of you." Mark turned and walked out of the room.

Mark left the Pentagon, climbing into the waiting limousine. "Take me the airport, Lieutenant, I want to get back to base ASAP" He spoke to his driver.

"How did it go, Boss? Did Winston give you shit as usual?" The dark haired young officer, wearing the rank insignia of a Union Navy Junior Grade Lieutenant asked.

"Yeah, he did, but the rest of the Joint Chiefs loved my idea. We can start assembling the troops as soon as we get back to base." Mark replied. "Although I doubt this is the last we've heard from the good General. We can definitely count on him sticking his oversized nose in when we least want it. He insisted on his blowhard of a nephew commanding the unit when it was formed."

The lieutenant snorted derisively. "That punk Edwards? Phah! Graham could fly circles around him any day of the week!" He turned around to face his superior, brilliant red eyes filled with concern. "Seriously, sir, you're not really going to have that guy join the team…right?

Mark sighed, "I don't know, Lieutenant, I really don't know. Lieutenant Edwards IS General Winston's nephew, and he has a lot of friends here in Washington. If he joined the squad, I wouldn't be able to turn him away. He IS one of our best pilots. I did say I only wanted our very best for this unit, so we'll just have to put up with him for the duration."

"Shit." Lieutenant Daisuke Sanada muttered. To the world at large, the nineteen year old was Mark's adopted son and served as his adjutant at Renquist. He had a strong bond with his superior, Lieutenant Graham Aker, regarding him as an older brother figure. But what the people didn't know was where Mark found him. Six years prior, when the Fox made his grand discovery in Montana, they also found a young kid inside the alien mobile suit. He couldn't remember his name, so Mark set him up with a new identity, and adopted him. Daisuke also proved to be an absolute genius when it came to technology. Thanks to him, they'd already started uncovering the secrets of the mysterious machine the technicians labeled "DX."

"Relax, kid, if anything it should be amusing to see Lieutenant Edwards adjust to Renquist. I'm sure the others will make him feel right at home." Mark replied. Daisuke gave off a small cackle, as they made it to the airport. They had just boarded Mark's personal UH-144 Falcon helicopter when the Fox's cell phone started to ring.

"Lamperouge here…WHAT? Alright we'll be there ASAP! Daisuke, do whatever you feel is necessary to get us back to base as fast as possible! Celestial Being is making their move now!" He then called another number "Get me Lieutenant Aker! I want him airborne now!"

"We're going!" the young Lieutenant replied, hopping into the cockpit, and starting the engines. The chopper's twin rotors started spinning. The Falcon leapt into the sky, and made off for Montana. Celestial Being was about to start its first armed intervention, and Mark wanted to be in a place where he could get as much information as possible!

Unnamed island, Pacific Ocean

Setsuna F. Seiei finished zipping up his sky blue flight suit. The pilot of the GN-001 Gundam Exia grabbed his helmet and strode over to his partner, Lockon Stratos, pilot of the GN-002 Gundam Dynames, who was listening to the radio. "Hey kid! The whole world is talking about us! We've already made a splash." The older man, dressed in the same style flightsuit as Setsuna, but in a deep forest green chuckled. "And we haven't even begun to show off what we can really do!"

"Indeed, Mr. Stratos." Wang Liu Mei chirped, being carried by her attendant, Hong Long. The Chinese beauty wore a pink safari outfit. "Celestial Being is here to change the world, and we will demonstrate our ideals through our actions. I'm counting on your and your fellow Meisters to carry out Aeolia's wishes to the best of your abilities." She smiled flirtatiously.

"We'll deliver ma'am." Lockon gave a jaunty salute. "Right partner?" He asked the Orange Haro.

"Go to work! Go to work!" He chirped in agreement, bouncing about madly. Liu Mei giggled as Orange hopped into her hands. "Pretty lady! Pretty lady!" it replied. Setsuna just rolled his eyes. While her information was always accurate and useful, he didn't trust her intentions, and thus kept a close eye on her.

Earth Orbit

The CBS-70 _Ptolemaios_ hung in orbit directly over the island of Ceylon, formerly known as Sri Lanka. This is the carrier of Celestial Being, aboard this vessel, the other two Gundam Meisters, Allejujah Haptism, pilot of the GN-003 Gundam Kyrios, adjusted the collar of his orange flightsuit. Before heading out into the hall towards his mobile suit, "I guess this is it, I'm rather nervous about actually entering combat."

"It can't be helped, we need to we need to test the full combat capabilities of the Gundams. Besides, this is our first official intervention. We have to back up our claims, no matter how we may feel about it personally. The plan is everything." Tieria Erde, the last of the Gundam Meisters, and pilot of the GN-005 Gundam Virtue replied bluntly. "Just know I'm keeping an eye on you, Allejujah Haptism, keep that in mind."

It was then a tall, attractive, very busty woman with long brunette hair, wearing a plain white spacesuit came down the hall. Sumeragi Lee Noriega was the tactical forecaster for the Ptolemy Branch of Celestial Being, and the vessel's nominal captain. "Oh good, I caught up with you guys. Are you ready? I know I'm asking a lot of you guys. I'm sorry."

Tieria shook his head, "No need for that, we all know the risks. It came with us joining Celestial Being in the first place. Miss Sumeragi we take out leave of you. Come Allejujah." The orange pilot nodded to Sumeragi and they headed to the respective cargo containers for their mobile suits.

The _Ptolemaios_ had a unique design in that there was no single hanger, instead, four containers each held one of the four Gundams, and once launch time arrived, the containers would rotate on a spinning ring to the top position, and launch out the central linear catapult. But as advanced as the vessel was, the _Ptolemaios_ had some serious limitations, namely in had no offensive weapons, leaving it totally reliant on the Gundams for protection. And deploying all four machines on their first intervention meant taking a huge risk and leaving the ship vulnerable.

On the bridge, twenty two year old Christina Sierra twitched in anticipation. The young woman was in charge of flight operations, and communications, not to mention the ship's senior programmer, a position she took great pride in. She stifled a yawn, because she had spent the better part of the night preparing for this big day, the day they officially started their armed interventions. "Hey, you ready, Feldt?" She called over her shoulder to her partner and fellow programmer. Feldt Grace gave a brief nod. "Kyrios, preparing for launch." She said in an emotionless tone. The petite young girl wore her pink hair in twin ponytails, and a pink, purple, and yellow outfit way too tight for her fourteen years. She was a quiet girl, who had been with the organization her entire life. Christina considered Feldt a beloved little sister, and worked to bring her out of her shell with regular trips to the mall. Christina was a raging shopaholic, and dragged the younger girl wherever she could. She loved getting the best deal on the latest fashions, and resolved to get Feldt to be more fashionable.

"Kyrios, go ahead and launch, Virtue moving into position, preparing for launch." Christina said, shivering slightly as she thought of the purple haired Gundam Meister. She made it a point to steer as far away from him as possible if she could. Tieria's cold demeanor scared the brunette girl. He was all about the mission and only about the mission. He had no people skills at all. Not to mention horrible fashion sense! The pink cardigan especially grated on her poor eyes. "Virtue is in place, you are go for launch." She said.

"Understood, Tieria Erde, Virtue now launching!" The blocky mobile suit shot down the catapult and into space, joining the Kyrios. The two Gundams started spilling out greenish GN particles to shield themselves from enemy radar and dipped into the atmosphere. They eventually became bright pricks of light before fading out.

"And with this, our work begins, we're on the clock now, everyone. Keep busy," Lasse Aeon, _Ptolemaios'_ security chief and reserve Gundam Meister remarked.

"I never get tired of watching them do that, it's just so amazing how skilled the Meisters are," Lichtendal Tsery, the ship's helmsman quipped. "I have to admit I'm rather jealous of them all. They get to go out and do all the fun stuff, while I'm stuck here. I'd love to be able to fight alongside Setsuna and the others."

"Your job's still important, Lichty, someone's gotta drive the ship." Christina said. "Besides, you have another job that's far more important than the Meisters. You have to protect us if we're discovered! You wouldn't want us to get captured, and have poor Feldt and I be ravished for Celestial Being's secrets now, would you?" she teased him, causing the males to start laughing, and Feldt just blushed before she got the signal that Exia and Dynames were departing. Feldt tapped the channel to Dynames.

(Island Hideout)

"Exia! Dynames! Ready to go! Ready to go!" Orange chirped, as the two mighty war machines slowly emerged from their containers. The GN Drives started spinning up, and the familiar green particles started emanating. Every one of Lockon's nerves was firing at full blast. The resident sniper of Celestial Being was determined to make his presence felt on the battlefield, and it started right here and now!

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Lockon said. His control board started blinking, notifying him Feldt was contacting him, "Oh hey, Feldt, what's up?"

"Uhh, I wanted to wish you luck on the mission." Feldt replied in a whisper. "I'll…be here with you every step of the way, monitoring your communications and offering my support from here," Feldt fumbled through her words. She harbored a secret crush on the de facto leader of the Gundam Meisters. Lockon just emanated strength and confidence, and that gave Feldt the resolve to do her part for Celestial Being. She wanted to do well for the organization that had been her family and home her entire life.

"Lockon, we're starting." Setsuna said abruptly, cutting off the conversation.

"I'll talk to you later, kiddo. Gotta motor!" And he cut her off. Feldt's cheeks flushed in shame. It was times like this she was reminded why she was more at home with machines than people. While Feldt liked Lockon, she had a serious lack of social skills, chalked up to so little contact with the outside world. _Maybe next time._ She thought sadly.

(Over the Pacific Ocean)

Graham and Billy had boarded a carrier plane containing Graham's personal SVMS-01 Flag, the blonde was now in a video conference with the Crimson Fox, "Celestial Being's on its way to the island of Ceylon, formerly known as Sri Lanka. It seems the Gundams plan on intervening in the ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamils, a conflict which has been raging since the nineteen seventies. The Human Reform League has been backing the Tamils for about the last ten years, wanna guess why?"

"The HRL's orbital elevator isn't too far from Ceylon, isn't it?" Billy asked. "There are power cables that run underwater to the mainland close to the island, it that it?"

"Correct, Mr. Katagiri! The underwater power cables run no more than thirty kilometers off the eastern coast of the island. As you can imagine it makes a very tempting target. So the HRL keep a garrison on the east coast for that very purpose. Lieutenant Aker, we need more information on these machines. I want you to set course for Ceylon, and have your Flag on Ready Five. I want you to engage the Gundams."

"Understood Admiral! Do I get my choice of which Gundam I can fight?" Graham smirked, a fire dancing in his green eyes. A fire that anyone who knew him well enough recognized, the fire of anticipation for a good fight. Graham knew he was good, but there was a serious lack of opportunities to show off what he could do. But the Gundams were unknown territory, something fresh and new, a dream come true for a soldier like Graham. "I think I'd like to take on that one machine with large blade, something about him caught my interest."

"Do what you want, Lieutenant." Mark replied.

"Admiral, I have to protest! We both saw the Gundam dismantle the Enact in a manner of seconds, and it was supposed to be the AEU's most state of the art! I doubt the Flag will fare any better! You can't possibly expect Graham to destroy a Gundam all by himself! We don't have any information about them at all!" Billy protested. A chuckle escaped from the Crimson Fox's lips. "Sir, with all due respect, this is not funny!"

"I'm sorry, Billy. Did I say I wanted Graham to destroy the Gundams? I don't think so. I know those machines far outstrip our very best. I want Graham to engage one of them so we can collect some hard data. After that it will be up to you and the other brains to analyze that data and come up with a countermeasure, Mr. Katagiri. I know you're up to the task, gentlemen." Mark saluted before the screen flickered off.

"Well, you heard the admiral, Billy. Let's make tracks for Ceylon." He said, going to put his flightsuit on as Billy starting tuning up the Flag.

(Human Reform League, Ceylon Costal Waters)

Exia and Dynames flew low and fast over the water towards their target. Two falling stars gave off Kyrios and Virtue's locations. The four Gundams fell into formation and made their way towards the island together. Setsuna had his monitors tuned to the action below. MSJ-06II-A Tieren Ground Types, clashed with the MSER-04 Anfs used by the Tamil rebels. The Tierens were slowly but surely mowing down the rebels and defeat seemed to be inevitable.

A cold feeling formed in Setsuna's gut, a feeling of familiarity. He was no longer in the cockpit of Exia, but on another battlefield in his home nation, a battlefield where his life changed forever. "No…NO!" Setsuna growled, he throttled Exia's thrusters and surged ahead of the formation. A long buried part of his psyche was screaming in agony and pain. The same that happened in Krugis all those years ago was now happening here, just with different names, and sides. Setsuna wanted to silence those screams as quickly as possible. Exia's arm blade flipped open, and he started slashing through the Tierens with reckless abandon.

"Damn it, what's the kid thinking?" Lockon muttered. Kyrios and Virtue broke off to attack their respective targets, leaving Dynames to cover the wild child of the Gundam Meisters. "He owes me for this!" He grunted. Lockon pulled out the massive GN sniper rifle and let loose with magenta lances. Virtue had taken a position on the beach, blowing through the patrol boats surrounding the power cables from Heaven's Pillar. Kyrios swooped over the garrison itself, letting loose a barrage of missiles from the container attached to the tail section.

Unknown to the Meisters, their actions were being monitored. An unmanned drone made several passes around the island. It was of a design not used by any of the major powers. "So their first official intervention is going well?" Reaper said in a monotone voice, before leaving the room.

"Yeah although Exia's pilot is being way too reckless and wild. The kid is good…but he's got major issues." Taka remarked. He looked around and heard the mild hiss of the door closing as the only indication his partner left. "I really hate it when he does that!" Reaper meanwhile had floated down the hall towards the hangar, a feeling of dread forming in his stomach.

"You heading out, Reaper?" Nathan's smooth baritone rang out. The stoic pilot nodded.

"Just a bad feeling, sir, permission to launch? I won't intervene unless I truly feel it's warranted."

"We do need to test Azrael's stealth systems anyway. Very well, I give approval for launch. Just keep your head down for now, all right? We can't show our hands so early yet."

"Understood, sir." Reaper gave a salute and continued onto the hanger while Nathan returned to the bridge. He sat down in the command chair and resumed looking at the data coming in from the UAV. Taka entered the bridge shortly thereafter. "Hawk." He said curtly.

"Boss." He answered back, just as directly. "How's the show been?"

"They've done remarkably well for their very first time. They're pulling out now."

"Boss…why did Reaper launch with Azrael?"

"Reaper said he was getting a bad feeling, and thought he should head down to see what he could do. We're chalking it up as a test of the machine's stealth systems."

"Want me to get BF-1 and catch up with him?"

"No, I need you here for right now, Hawk. Reaper can handle himself and he won't compromise us if he feels he can avoid it. The man is a consummate professional and I trust him. Your time will come soon enough, and everyone will know what you can do."

The man known as the Hawk sighed, "I guess so sir…anything else I can do?"

"The most you can do right now is just sit and enjoy the show." Nathan replied. "Redirect the UAV away from the island, that way no one catches it, the Human Reform League or our own people." The UAV veered away from the island, and soon there was nothing but water on the scopes. A dark shape appeared on the UAV's camera as it flew by.

"Did you see that?" Hawk said.

"See what?" Nathan said.

"Something on the UAV's camera. It was only there for a few minutes. Hang on, I'll run it through the database for a comparsion." Taka said. He spent a few minutes, a frustrated grunt escaped his lips "Boss…that plane was a Union transport carrier," He said. "It's on a direct path for Ceylon."

Nathan froze, "How soon until it reaches the island? Will they intercept the Gundams before they can exfil from the area?" He was sweating at the thought of the Union getting the drop on the Meisters when they were in a vulnerable state after completing a mission.

Hawk shook his head, "I don't think so, Boss. I only saw one of them, and those carrier planes weren't built for speed. Besides which, they only carry two Flags to begin with, not much of a force for taking on the Gundams, which are still an unknown at this point. I don't think the Union's intention is to stop Stratos and the others. This…seems more like a data-gathering mission if you ask me. Even if they don't put a scratch on any of the machines, they could still learn about our weaknesses."

Nathan's fingers curled around the arm of his command chair, "Even still, I hope Reaper has the common sense NOT to engage them. We'd blow our cover before we even began, and the whole plan would be in jeopardy."

Back on the island, the Gundam Meisters were wrapping things up. They had dropped almost of the Tierens with minimal effort. Exia had wracked up a truly startling body count. GN Blade drawn, Setsuna sawed through a Tieren's midsection, before pivoting in place and hacking another asunder. Dynames hovered in the sky, lancing a few more mobile suits. Lockon gazed on at his young partner's mad fury.

"You're pushing yourself too hard, kid." He said softly. The remaining Tieren pilots finally took the hint and retreated. "Finally…" Lockon said. Two Anfs started to pursue them. "Why you!" He raised his weapon again, but with a quick flash, Setsuna downed them both. He sighed. "Not bad, team. I think we've proven our point, let's all RTB."

Under cover of active camouflage, the mysterious soldier known as Reaper gave an approving nod, as he saw four streaks of light leave the island. "Good…they all made it out." One was heading out ahead of the others. He magnified the image. "Hmm, where are you off to…Exia?" He said softly, deciding he would tail the Kurdish pilot.

(Skies over Pacific)

Graham sat in the cockpit of his Flag, according to the reports the Gundams had departed from Ceylon. And he was going to swoop in on them the first chance he could get. Graham didn't care if he even got a blow in. This was a fight he'd been dreaming up for a long time. "Alright, Graham, remember, the job here isn't to defeat the Gundam, just to gather information, so please, PLEASE promise me you won't take any risks?" Billy pleaded.

"Relax Billy! This is a chance of a lifetime, so of course I have to give my best. Don't worry, I'll bring the Flag back in one piece."

"It's not the Flag I'm worried about, Graham…it's you!" Billy snapped before he palmed his forehead. "Oh who am I kidding? You're going to go in full bore like you always do! Nothing I can say will dissuade you once you've put your mind to something…just come back alive okay?"

"Roger that! Graham Aker, Flag heading out!" the pale blue mobile suit slowly glided out the back. The Union ace kicked in the thrusters and shot away in search of his target. "Come on, Gundam. I know you're out here, reward me with the battle I've dreamed of!" Graham's patience was rewarded as he caught sight of the tell tale sign of pale green light. "And it's the bladed Gundam! Lady Luck is truly on my side today!"

The Flag swooped down on Exia. The massive arm mounted blade flipped open. Graham smirked, transforming his machine in mid air. He pulled out a sonic blade, and ignited the plasma sword function. The two blades clashed against each other. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Gundam!" He boomed over the com, hoping the pilot was listening.

"Who are you?" Setsuna growled back.

"The name's Graham Aker, a man who's obsessed with everything you are!" He swung the plasma blade and the two machines began their battle.


	4. The Changing World

Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Daisuke Sanada belongs to Centurious the Azure. "Reaper", "Taka", and Nathan Anderson belong to Wing Commander White Wolf.

Saga of the Crimson Fox

By Storm Wolf77415

The Changing World

"How lucky am I to find you. It's my lucky day, I guess it comes with being a Virgo." Graham smirked. "Or perhaps it's because you're not putting out those specks of light?" The Flag's plasma blade pushed against the Exia's massive sword. "My guess, it's probably option two!" Setsuna pushed the Flag back with a wide slash, causing it to drop the plasma blade, and back pedal. "I wasn't expecting that, but you're not going to hit me with that clumsy blade!"

The Flag nimbly slid out of the way of Exia's attack, causing Setsuna some surprise. "I missed?" He said in disbelief. Unbeknownst to either combatant, a dark shape hovering high in the sky was observing their battle. In the darkened cockpit, a shadowy figure watched as the Flag slid out of line of Exia's slash.

"I admire your strength…" Graham said, The Flag grabbed onto Exia's shoulder. "So I'm taking you back in one piece!" He stated. Setsuna didn't like that very much.

"Get your hands off me!" He snarled, backhanding the Flag. But Graham wasn't about to let go so easily, making to yank off the Gundam's shoulder armor. A spray of magenta bolts rained down from the sky.

Graham quickly leapt back to keep from getting skewered, pulling out the Flag's linear rifle, firing several quick shots while looking around for his attacker. Exia was undeterred by the 120mm rounds pinging off its armor, using the momentary distraction to discard the shield, and ignited a blade of frozen fire that chopped clean through the barrel of the weapon.

"A beam saber?" Graham gasped. He spun his Flag around and headed back to the transport. The blonde had to take one last look at the white and blue machine hovering in the skies. "Magnificent! We will meet again, Gundam. You can count on that!"

Setsuna's shoulders sagged with fatigue. "What was the deal with that pilot?" He said to no one in particular. "And where did those particle beams come from? None of the others guys were around."

Unbeknownst to either Setsuna or Graham, a dark figure hovered high in the sky, a massive rifle similar to the one carried by the Dynames in hand.

Inside the cockpit, the mysterious operative known as "Reaper" smirked. "Be lucky I was hanging around, kid. You would've been in a long of trouble otherwise. Archangel, this is Reaper…I'm heading home."

(Renquist Air Station, Montana)

The Falcon touched down on the tarmac, and the Crimson Fox and his aide quickly made for the operations center. Mark didn't waste any time getting down to business. "What's the situation here, Rick?" He asked of Commander Rick Hunter, a serious looking man with black hair and steel blue eyes, the rank of naval commander on his uniform.

"Lieutenant Aker just reported in. He engaged the Gundam, wasn't able to even put a dent in it, and then the thing destroyed his rifle. He's on his way back now."

Mark nodded. "Get me a line to their transport. I'm going to personally debrief them both right now. Keep me informed of any new developments from Celestial Being. I'll be in my office for now." Rick nodded, turning back to the activity flashing on the monitors. Daisuke plopped down at his station.

"So how was Washington, kid?" Rick asked the younger man.

"About normal, Winston was flapping his gums about how the Union would never fall to Celestial Being and that we'd crush them like ants. In other words, the same old bull shit rhetoric, Mark put the old fart in his place but good."

Rick smirked, "Good, the boss deserves better. I can't believe that arrogant prick sent him here just because he did his job!"

"You're preaching to the choir, Commander. I feel the same way." Daisuke replied, looking towards Mark's office door. "He took care of me, and I don't want to let him down."

Mark retired to his inner sanctum, unbuttoning his jacket, and tie. He idly paged through the paperwork before plopping down in his desk chair. He directed his weary eyes to the silver picture frame on his desk, a woman in her late twenties, standing in front of two VMS-01 Realdos, one violet, the same shade as her hair and flightsuit, and the other in a brilliant flame red.

"Hi honey, did you miss me? A lot's been going down the last few weeks, these guys called Celestial Being showed up, and started raising all kinds of hell," He picked the frame up, "I went to Washington today, try and convince them something had to be done about these people. Our 'old friend' General Winston was there, as pleasant as ever. I wish you had been there, you could have put the fear of God in him." A knocking came at the door, and Mark put the picture back on the desk. "Enter." He said.

Hunter entered, offering his CO a salute, which Mark returned. "So, how did it go in Washington? Did the brass agree to your proposal?"

Mark smirked widely, "Yes they did, Commander Hunter, I've been authorized by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff himself to form a special unit with the express purpose of battling and capturing the Gundams. They're taking this whole Celestial Being business very seriously. We got Ralph Eifman working for us."

Hunter cocked an eyebrow, "Professor Ralph Eifman? He's the best technologist the Union has. The Joint Chiefs are taking this seriously…for a change. But begging the Admiral's pardon, does he know about the DX?"

Mark leaned back in his chair, eyes sharp, "He does now. We've been studying that thing since day one, and we still can't make heads or tails of how it works, even with Daisuke's help." Mark said, "Eifman's the best chance we've got to crack DX's mysteries, if he can figure out to make it work, we can start reverse engineering its weapons and give the Union an advantage."

"Yes sir." Hunter replied, the phone rang, "allow me, Admiral." He answered it, "It's Lieutenant Aker, sir. He has a report on his fight with the Gundam."

"Very well, Commander Hunter, I'll take it from here," Mark replied.

(Skies over Pacific Ocean)

Graham sprawled out on the bench, as Billy analyzed the data from his Flag. "I guess I'm going to have to mention how I lost the rifle in my report. Commander Hunter is going to blow his stack." The blonde remembered the dressing down he'd received after accidentally crashing his Flag.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, the data alone is valuable enough to make up for the loss of the weapon," Billy reassured him.

"Fox Actual to Union-01, please respond." Mark's voice came over the radio. "Union-01 please respond, Graham you there?"

"Admiral!" Graham stood up quickly, giving a salute.

"As you were, Lieutenant Aker give me your report about your battle with the Gundam, leave no details out," Mark said.

"Yes sir!" Graham said, and he began detailing his fight with Exia. "The skill of the pilot especially caught my eye, Admiral, especially since he's still quite young. Probably not even in his twenties."

"What makes you sure that he's so young, Lieutenant?" Mark asked.

"I saw it in the way he moved his machine, sir. The movements were fast and nimble, but at the same time very polished and crisp. Which also leads me to believe that the pilot of the bladed Gundam has formal training from somewhere."

"Interesting…" The Crimson Fox said. "Anything else?"

"Well, I was going to try and bring back a piece of the Gundam for analysis, but I was rebuffed when I nearly got shot down by a stream of beam attacks from above. I had to break off otherwise I'd be hit. The Gundam ignited a beam saber and destroyed my linear rifle. I decided discretion was the better part of valor and bugged out.

The Crimson Fox nodded in approval, "Well, glad you decided to use your head for a change, Lieutenant. I've got your new orders, you two are to head for MSWAD HQ in Illinois. We're going to take the fight to the Gundams." Graham saluted.

(JNN Tokyo HQ, Special Economic Zone, Japan)

Kinue sighed as she looked over the mess of documents on her desk. Ever since Celestial Being's declaration, she'd thrown herself into her work. She had recognized the mysterious man from the video and decided to uncover his identity. She'd gone back through three hundred years of documents and newspapers articles to see if she could find anything. Her persistence was about to pay off.

"Ah-ha! That's him! That's the guy! Aeolia Schuenberg. He was the man who proposed the solar power array in the first place." Kinue said. "He vanished at the end of the 21st Century…along with some of the best scientists and engineers of the time. Could they have had a hand in building the Gundams? But…why would they wait 200 years to make their move?" She remarked. Her cell phone started to ring. It was a number she didn't recognize. "Hello?" She asked.

"Good evening, Miss Crossroad. I noticed you are researching our founder. I ask you remain where you are in the archive room. Look over your right shoulder to the camera next to the door." A male voice said. Kinue looked to the camera. "Wow, you're even prettier than your ID picture."

"Thanks, I'm flattered. Do you have a name, or should I make something up for you?" Kinue replied with a dry tone, starting to pack up her things and head home. The man chuckled.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm not about to reveal my identity over an open line, Miss Crossroad. If you must call me something, refer to me as 'Looking Glass'. I am an intelligence officer for Celestial Being's Conflict Prevention Branch, otherwise known as Cell Three. I'm speaking to you tonight in the hopes that you'll stop looking for information about Aeolia Schuenberg."

She reached for the door handle, "And why is that?" Kinue's eyes narrowed.

"Because, if you do, Miss Crossroad…It might not end well for you." Looking Glass said.

"Are you threatening me?" She snapped, hurling the door open and slamming it shut as she stomped down the hall towards the elevator. "I'm a reporter, pal! My job is to look for the truth! You think I'm going to just stop because you ordered me to? I don't think so!"

"It's not a threat, Miss Crossroad…It's a warning. I'm not trying to stop you from learning the truth. I'm trying to keep you being so reckless. Tell me…how dedicated are you to the truth? What do know about the hidden instabilities of the world? Are you willing to be you're your father?"

Kinue stood still, "What do you know about my father?"

"I know he was passionate in his search, 'Truth is our Sword!' He always used to say." Kinue's eyes teared up.

"That was his personal motto. Was he investigating Celestial Being as well?" Even though she couldn't see his face, Kinue could feel that he nodded yes.

"Taizo Crossroad wasn't just investigating Celestial Being…He was one of our agents. He used his connections as a reporter to feed information to us. Taizo was a good friend of mine, and it hurt a lot when he died. I kept an eye on his kids for him as a favor. Imagine my surprise when I found out you'd taken up his mantle. He would have been proud of you. What if I told you the truth? You wouldn't be able to tell a soul about it, if you didn't want anyone coming after you and your brother."

"You'd tell me everything about Celestial Being and Aeolia Schuenberg?" Kinue said hopefully, having finally gotten out of the JNN building.

"I'm a man of my word, Miss Crossroad…but not like this. You'd probably want to meet face to face. I'll get back to you when I want to set up the meeting. Have a nice evening, Miss Crossroad, and…watch your back. You never know who may be lurking around." A dark shape shot over the city. Kinue recognized it as a mobile suit. "We'll certainly be watching you."

(Tenchu Orbital Elevator, Base Station, Human Reform League)

Few paid attention to the three young men standing at one of the tables at the food court. And they paid little attention to the fourth young man, barely a child who walked up. "Sorry for being late," Setsuna said.

"What happened?" Allelujah asked.

"I put it into my report. It's not important." He replied, replaying the battle with the Flag from earlier. A waitress came over with a tray of drinks. A cup of warm milk was put before Setsuna. "What's this for?"

"Just a looking out for the youngest member of our team. You're a growing boy, you need your calcium!" Lockon smirked. The PA system blared to life.

"Attention, attention, Linear Train A-113 will depart in fifteen minutes, all passengers should report for final departure."

"You really think we can smuggle the Virtue back to space like this?" Allelujah asked.

"It shouldn't be a problem. The Virtue is hidden as construction equipment for the new space colony. It shouldn't be an issue to get it back to the ship." Lockon remarked.

"One of the Ptolemaios's greatest weaknesses is her operational time is limited without the GN Drives to recharge it." The pilot of the Kyrios went on. Setsuna put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't speak about our secrets in public," the younger man spoke. "We have a more pressing matter anyway…I think there may be another Gundam out there." This gets their attention. "During my battle with the Flag, someone started firing particle beams. I know it wasn't any of you."

"Are you sure it was another Gundam?" Tieria said. "That's not in the plan!"

"Check Exia's camera footage. It should show something." Setsuna said.

"I'll do that." Tieria said. The PA came on again, announcing the imminent departure of his train. "I'll take my leave of you all now."

"We'll leave space to you," Lockon said, and the purple haired pilot walked to the departure gate. "We should return to the containers. I want to look at the camera footage as well." The three men left the Elevator, at the same time, an older man with dark hair and a massive scar across this face also left the station.

"Colonel Smirnov, welcome back to Earth." Ming, his adjutant, saluted.

"I find myself to be much more comfortable in gravity." The Wild Bear of Russia spoke.

"Colonel, we have orders to take you to Commander Kim at once." Another soldier said.

"Very well, but first I want you to take me to Ceylon." Sergei said. "I don't believe things until I see it with my own eyes. I want to see the power of the Gundams for myself."

(Mobile Suit Warehouse And Development HQ, Illinois, Union)

MSWAD HQ was located seven miles outside Chicago, all the new developments in Union MS technology was developed there. Daisuke eased Mark's personal Falcon onto the tarmac, next to Graham and Billy's transport and the two hopped out. Graham had just offloaded the Flag he used to fight the Exia.

"Ah good, you made it!" Mark said, before acknowledging the two, "Alright, Gentlemen, I'll get right to the matter at hand. The Union has ordered me to assemble a special unit with a single mission, and that is to fight and if possible…capture the Gundams. Lieutenant Aker will become squadron commander and additional personnel will join in time." He then looked to Billy, "Well, what have you gotten from it?"

Billy started examining the data, "Well, I'll say this much, that Gundam you fought had a power output six times greater than the Flag."

"I was most impressed by the Gundam's maneuverability…it has to be connected to those particles they emit. Those particles are also probably what cloak the Gundams from our radar and sensors."

"Not to mention the particles are possibly utilized in their weaponry," An older man with long gray hair strode up, leaning on a cane. "What I'd like to do is capture a Gundam."

Billy smiled, "Welcome Professor! It's so good to see you again!" He said, shaking his mentor's hand.

"And how are you, Billy? I trust you've been keeping out of trouble?" Eifman smiled knowingly.

"Doing my best, sir!" He blushed slightly.

"Good, I wonder if you've heard from Leesa lately?" the Professor asked.

"Sorry, sir, Kujoh's kept to herself a lot." Billy replied.

The Crimson Fox cleared his throat, "Professor Eifman, thank you for meeting with us. Welcome to the Anti-Gundam Investigative Task Force…we'll get a more official name later on." The Crimson Fox said, shaking the older man's hand. "Once we get all our equipment in place, your job will be to take the Flags and modify them to better stand against the Gundams. Any resources you need, I'll get it for you." Mark replied.

"Excellent, Admiral. I see we're both on the same page in the regard of capturing one of the Gundams for ourselves." Eifman replied. "Tell me, Lieutenant, what would you like done to your Flag?"

"For starters, I'd like you to boost the engine output, and make it able to withstand the Gundam's energy weapons." Graham replied.

"What about the stress on the pilot?" Eifman replied.

"Don't worry about that, I'll manage, but I'd like it done in a week's time. We can't afford to lag." the blonde replied.

"A wise move. From what our intelligence reports say, the AEU and the Human Reform League are building their own Anti-Gundam squadrons so we've gotta be ready before them." Mark said.

"If we're going to court a Gundam, we'll have to be a little aggressive." Graham said.

(Isolated Island, Pacific Ocean)

The three Meisters crowded around the monitor in Exia's container, watching the camera footage Setsuna took of his battle with Graham's Flag. "He's good…and he's a southpaw." Lockon remarked, noticing how the defense rod was mounted on the right arm. Setsuna and Allelujah said nothing. They watched as the Flag grabbed onto Exia's shoulder.

"It's coming, now!" Setsuna said. Sure enough, a rain of the familiar magenta beams rained down, and Exia used the chance to slash through the Flag's linear rifle with its beam saber, and the machine retreated.

"Well done, Setsuna. Alright, let's see if we can find the source of those beams." Lockon's fingers started dancing over the keyboard. "Okay, based off the trajectory of the beam attacks. We can trace them back to their source. Here we are!" The screen centered on a small dark speck in the sky. "Magnifying and enhancing…there!" It a humanoid shape, hard to make out, but definitely a mobile suit.

"There's the source of the beams. It does…sort of look like a Gundam." Allelujah commented. "The question is…where does it come from?" The console started beeping again.

"It looks like we're going to have wait to find the answers out about that one. Veda's just given us our new orders. It looks like we've each been given a separate assignment." Setsuna said. "Allelujah is to hit Taribia, Lockon, you're heading for South Africa…I'm going back to Ceylon and hit the other base there."

The other two men didn't need to say anything. They simply ran for their respective containers and started changing into their flightsuits. In ten minutes the three machines were in the air, and racing for their objectives.

(Illinois)

"This is Lamperouge…what? The Gundams are on the move again!" Mark said in surprise. "One of them is heading straight for Union territory…it looks like Taribia! Graham, you know what do!"

Graham smirked and got ready to board his Flag when Eifman stopped him.

"Lieutenant, wait a minute!" he called out. "Remain right where you are. Let the Gundams go this time." The other officers just looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Professor Eifman, this is a golden opportunity to capture the Gundam! That is what you wanted isn't it? We can't pass this up!" Mark protested.

"The Admiral is right, Professor! We can get down to Taribia in a few hours!" Graham protested. The old man just smiled knowingly.

"There's only one thing that Taribia has that would warrant an intervention from Celestial Being…Taribia is the capital for the international trade in cocaine. They're going straight for the source of the conflict itself. I have an intense dislike for illegal narcotics. If they want to burn it to ash, I say let them! There will be other times, gentlemen. It will give me time to work on your Flag, Lieutenant Aker."

"I guess we can't fault his logic." Mark said to the others. "Alright Professor, we'll trust your judgment."

(Taribia)

Kyrios streaked over the massive fields of coca plants. "Kyrios dropping ordinance in three, two, one! Bombs out!" Allelujah said, dropping numerous five hundred pound bombs onto the drug fields below, consuming them in purifying fire. "Ninety-seven percent of target destroyed, objective complete. Kyrios returning to base!"

The orange Gundam dumped the ordinance pod and banked back towards base. The Gundam Meister allowed himself a smile of satisfaction. "Now these are missions I take pleasure doing!" He said. "I hope the others are alright."

"Funny you say that!" Lockon cut in on the radio. "I hate to say this, but I feel like nothing more than a bully!" Lockon had arrived in South Africa, intervening in a struggle for mining rights. The pilot of Dynames was correct in that was a rather one-sided fight, a Gundam versus armed Work Loaders. He'd already disabled two of them. "Come on you guys, just quit while you can!"

He continued firing his beam pistol at their feet, but the Work Loaders refused to quit. "I'm going to go for kill shots soon!" He muttered. Thankfully, they finally took the hint, and threw down their weapons, fleeing the battlefield. "Alright, I'm done here. Dynames returning to base!"

(HRL Ceylon Outpost #2)

Sergei stood in a hanger looking at large blocky container they'd recovered from Celestial Being's last attack on the island. An ordinance pod identical the one Kyrios just used in Taribia. "So what have we learned from this?" He asked the engineer.

"Well Colonel, it's an optional bombing module for a mobile suit made out of e-carbon. The material is certainly cutting edge, but we haven't found anything that suggests new technology in its construction. As for the ordinance it carried, we determined from the residue they were 300-kilogram laser guided missiles. No country or manufacturer currently makes this type of missile."

"Celestial Being is producing them on their own…" Sergei trailed off. "And because this pod has nothing new, they could jettison it."

"Colonel!" An aide ran up, "One of the Gundams has returned here to Ceylon! Garrison post seven!" Sergei's features hardened.

"Prepare a Tieren for my use…I'll go out personally." He said. The aide looked startled by his superior's declaration. "I said it earlier, son…I don't believe something unless I see it with my own eyes. I won't be satisfied until I face this Gundam myself!" The aide saluted and went to find a mobile suit for him to use. Sergei smirked. "Rank does have its perks at times."

Exia was engaging a squad of MSJ-06II-A Tieren Ground Types. The tank like mobile suits' arm mounted 200mm smoothbore cannons fired but the shells just bounced off Exia's armor, leaving slight dings. Setsuna in the meanwhile was chopping and slashing the HRL soldiers down like wheat. "What is with this guy? This Gundam's a monster!" One soldier cried before Exia's GN Blade cut through his machine.

Setsuna was methodical, slashing through one at a time. Eventually all the Tierens were silenced and Exia stood alone amongst the wreckage. His radar beeped, signaling another contact. An MSJ-06II-C/BT Tieren High Mobility Commander Type B flew towards the Exia, circling around and landing right in front of the Gundam. Setsuna snapped his blade up into a ready stance. The Tieren held its arm out…letting the cannon crash to the ground.

Inside the cockpit of the clunky machine, face obscured by the holographic helmet, Sergei appraised its opponent. "Alright, Gundam. Show me exactly what you can do. Let me see just how good you are!" He pulled out his machine's carbon blade. "I'm even making it easy for you!" The Tieren lunged. Setsuna cleaved the machine's arm off, but Sergei wasn't going down so easily. The Tieren's remaining arm grabbed onto Exia's head. "I'm taking that back with me!" He yelled.

Setsuna had the same reaction that he did to when Graham grabbed him, "Don't touch me!" he snarled. Setsuna heaved the Exia's GN blade and slashed through the Tieren's legs, sending the cockpit module crashing to the ground. Sergei coughed as the cockpit sparked and smoked. The Exia's mission compete, Setsuna took off back towards base camp.

(Union Special Economic Zone, Japan)

Kinue sighed as she opened the door the apartment she shared with her brother, seventeen year old Saji, who was an engineering student at the local high school. She walked in to find Saji watching the news. Much to her dismay he wasn't alone. Saji's girlfriend, seventeen-year-old Louise Halevy, was sitting next to him on the couch as they watched the news together.

"Hi, sis!" Saji said, "How was work?" Kinue recalled her encounter with the mysterious man who claimed to be with Celestial Being.

"Work was fine, Saji…Hello Louise." Kinue tried to be pleasant, despite finding the Spanish girl to be a spoiled, whiny brat. She had come to Japan on a student visa to study at the same school that Saji did, and the two of them had become a couple.

"Hi Kinue!" Louise chimed. "Hope you don't mind Saji inviting me over. We had a homework assignment and we're doing it together." Kinue nodded, sliding off her shoes and crashing on the couch, her conversation with the mysterious 'Looking Glass' still playing in her head.

"Kinue! Kinue! Watch this!" Saji said. The news was on, detailing a story how the Real IRA announced it would cease all armed activity and disband, the news announcer speculated that it wads due Celestial Being's appearance. "The world…is changing." Saji remarked.

(MSWAD HQ, Illinois)

Professor Eifman was true to his word. A week after battling Setsuna, he'd finished upgrading Graham's machine. The lights came on, illuminating the new SVMS-01E Union Flag Graham Aker Custom, now painted black with white trim. Mark, Graham, Billy, and Daisuke were all quite impressed with. "Well, Lieutenant Aker, here is your new Flag, as promised and on time. Do you approve?"

"Indeed I do, Professor! I love it!" Graham said.

"A fine job as always, Professor. You never disappoint!" Billy said.

Eifman nodded, "Allow me to point out some of the Custom Flag's new features. I installed new high performance plasma engines, doubling the Flag's speed. The joints and backpack have been heavily reinforced, to allow for the high acceleration of the G-System you requested. I will warn you, Lieutenant, you'll be pulling speeds up of 12Gs. For your sake, use this system sparingly."

"I'm sure Graham will exercise caution," Mark said, glaring at the blonde.

Eifman just snorted, "Now for the weapon capabilities, as a defensive measure the entire fuselage has been given an anti-beam coating to better deflect the Gundam's energy weapons, but it will wear down over time, so beware that lucky shot. I've also procured an experimental linear rifle, the XLR-04, from the Iris Corporation. It has a variable power output. It can launch a series of rapid fire shots with little power behind it, or it charge up a single shot, might be enough to pierce the Gundam's armor."

"I gotta admit, Doc. Your reputation does you credit. I don't think even my best work could compare to this! You've taken the Flag to a whole new level!" Daisuke said.

"Well thank you, Lieutenant Sanada. Odds are I'll be counting on you and Billy to help me tune this Flag, and the rest of the squadron's units when the time comes." Eifman said.

Daisuke could say nothing, his mouth just hanging open. "I'm sure Daisuke would love to learn from the master," Mark said, putting his hands on his son's shoulder. He looked back up at the Custom Flag. "You think you can handle this, Graham?"

"Yes indeed, sir. I'm looking forward to our next encounter with the Gundams…looking very forward to it." Graham thought of the Exia again, the anticipation of a rematch burning inside.

Author's Notes: Celestial Being has turned up the heat all at once. And now the Union, AEU, and HRL get ready for their response.


	5. Taribia

Disclaimer: see Chapter 1 Anthony Russo and Takachi Murakumo belong to White Wolf, and Daisuke Sanada is Centuious the Azure's.

Saga of the Crimson Fox

By Storm Wolf77415 and Wing Commander White Wolf

Taribia

(Renquist Air Station)

It had been a full two weeks since Celestial Being's last intervention, and nothing had happened since. Despite numerous drills and simulations with the new Custom Flag, Graham was starting to get impatient. Professor Eifman moved his operations from Illinois to Montana since Renquist had been named the new center for Anti-Gundam Operations. He had been less than impressed with the poor facilities at the remote outpost, and quickly improved things, updating the equipment and seeing all the engineers and mechanics were brought up to date.

Eifman and Billy were doing a maintenance check on the Custom Flag while Mark, Daisuke, and Graham were playing cards while trying to fend off the boredom. Daisuke finally broke the silence. "I just don't get it, it's been half a month, why hasn't Celestial Being made a move yet?"

"I imagine they are very selective in their choices for interventions. While the Gundams are certainly battlefield dominators, even if they do split up, they can't be everywhere at once. So they have to plan carefully for whatever op they set out on." Mark explained. "In other words, my young protégé. Celestial Being knows the value of being cautious." He directed a subtle glare to Graham, "Something that certain pilots who shall remain nameless would be wise to emulate."

The door to the hanger creaked open, and Graham lit up, "Ah! They arrived!" he said. "The first two additions to our merry little band!" A pair of men dressed in full Union uniforms entered.

"Warrant Officer Howard Mason reporting for duty, Admiral Lamperouge!" The first man saluted the light catching off his steel rimmed glasses.

"Chief Petty Officer Darryl Dodge also reporting for duty, sir! It's good to see you both." The black man said, saluting as well. Mark, Graham, and Daisuke returned the salute.

"As you were, gentlemen. Welcome to Renquist. Happy to have you onboard." Mark said.

"Greeting my fellow Flag Fighters!" Graham said, slapping Howard and Darryl on the back. "This is truly a wondrous day!"

"Ahem!" Another voice echoed across the hanger, "No greeting for me? I deserve one since it took me forever to find this godforsaken place!" A young man in his mid twenties clad in the Union officer's uniform sauntered up. "Lock you doors, and hide your women…Joshua Edwards of the North Shield Squadron has arrived!"

Daisuke recognized the man immediately "Oh no!" he groaned in agony. "The glory hog from up north is here!"

"Well, Ensign Edwards…so glad to see you." Mark said.

"Ah ah, that's Lieutenant Edwards!" He corrected the Fox, pointing to the single silver bar that denoted the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. "I've been assigned to your command…_Admiral_. Don't forget who the real star here is! Of course it shouldn't be an issue, given that your favorite pilot doesn't stab you in the back!"

The Crimson Fox's eyes blazed, "Oh don't worry, Lieutenant. You'll be given the full royal treatment. We'll see to that, right Lieutenant Sanada?" Mark said.

"Yes sir…whatever you say, sir." Daisuke caught on.

"Gentlemen, we'll be having a briefing later this evening, so we can bring you all up to speed about our mission, dismissed!" The three new pilots saluted and returned to their barracks.

(Royal Palace, Kingdom of Azadistan)

Princess Marina Ismail stood on the balcony, looking out over the capital of her country. Smoke rose up in the skies from several fires started by rioting crowds, an explosion went off, painting the night sky an angry orange. Marina sighed. It was the sad truth that violence was a common fact of life in the country she ruled.

The door opened, admitting Shirin Bakhtiar, Prime Minister of Azadistan, and Marina's closest advisor and confidante. "Well, Princess, It appears the wave of terrorism has finally reached the capital." Shirin remarked.

"It would appear so." Marina said.

"We need to push the reforms through the National Assembly before the moderates decide to join the side of the conservatives." Shirin said.

"I'm aware of that, we've been reliant on fossil fuels for far too long." Marina replied, "If we're going to revive the nation's economy, we need to approach the nations that control the Solar Energy array and ask for their aid."

"But since our country didn't participate in the building of the Orbital Elevators, we really don't have any right to ask the Union, AEU, or Human Reform League to access their energy supply. Since our precious oil is now subject to severe export restrictions, what reason would they have to help us?" Shirin replied. Marina turned to face her friend.

"The Assembly restored the monarchy and put me in charge to find that aid." Marina said. "So I have no choice but to press ahead."

"Still, the immediate situation is dire. If the country falls into any further chaos…they would come." Shirin said.

"Celestial Being would come here?" Marina sighed, going back to looking out on the city.

(HRL Joint Headquarters, Beijing, China)

Sergei entered the conference room, offering his superior officer a salute. "Welcome back, Colonel. How were things in Ceylon? I understand you traded blows with a Gundam. So give your analysis. What's your honest opinion of them?"

"I'll answer best I can, sir." Sergei said, launching into his report. "Perosnally, I don't think there's a mobile suit in the world that can stand up to one of those things in a fair fight."

"It's performance is really that overwhelming, Colonel?" the general replied.

"Just stating my opinion sir," Sergei replied honestly. The flag officer just smirked.

"Then it's a good thing I called you down here, Colonel Smirnov. Because I have a directive for you straight from the higher ups of the Human Reform League. You are to acquire a Gundam for us before the Union or the AEU. Our spies report that the Union has already put together a special unit for that express purpose, and the AEU is not too far behind. So we will create our own special team to capture a Gundam, personnel selection is up to you, but there is one exception." He said, "Please send her in now."

The door opened, and in walked a young girl of eighteen, long ash blonde hair framed an otherwise pretty face, but there was no warmth in her golden eyes. she saluted both superior officers. "Excuse me, sir. I'm Lieutenant Soma Peires, Super Soldier number 1, dispatched from the Superhuman Institute Labs. As of today, I've been assigned to the Choubu Special Forces Team under your command. It's an honor to serve under you, Colonel."

Sergei couldn't believe his eyes, or ears. "The Superhuman Institute? I…I thought that program was shut down and with good reason!"

The general shrugged, "Apparently, it was continued in secret. The higher-ups believe she may very well be our trump card against the Gundams."

Sergei looked her over, "You are much too young to be in this, but I guess I have no choice." He saluted the girl, "I'm eager to see what you can do."

(AEU High Command, Brussels, Belgium)

A similar meeting was happening at the same time in Brussels, Alex stood before the three highest-ranking officers in the entire Advanced European Union. The Silver Spider snapped to attention, giving a picture perfect salute to his superiors. "Lieutenant Colonel Alex Strassmeier, reporting as ordered." He said.

The general sitting in the middle stood up, saluting back, "As you were, Colonel. Thank you for being so prompt. We'll cut right to the chase. Celestial Being humiliated us the other day, made our new Enact look like a joke. We are not going to stand for this. You've been recalled from your regular unit to take charge of a special team we're putting together specifically to combat the Gundams. You are our top ace, Colonel. If anyone can bring victory, it's you."

Alex saluted, "In that case, I accept sirs. Just so I'm clear on my orders, are we trying to capture a Gundam, or destroy them outright? Because I've heard rumors that the Union and the Human Reform League are planning on capturing those machines for themselves."

"Capture would be ideal, but we won't shed any tears if all four of those monsters were reduced to scrap. You're going to be the one fighting them, so the decision will ultimately be yours, Colonel. Do what you feel you must," The general on the right replied.

Alex said. "What about equipment and personnel?" The general on the right responded.

"As far as equipment goes, our engineers are planning on customizing your personal Enact to better stand up to the Gundams. The modifications should be done in a few weeks. Your Enact will become the template for the rest of the squad's machines when you have a full roster."

The general on the left said, "As for personnel, you'll be able to choose your own subordinates, but we are going to assign Kati Mannequin to your team. She's our nation's best tactical forecaster, and her strategies should make all the difference." He keyed a button on the intercom, "Send in the Colonel." In walked an attractive woman wearing the AEU's officer uniform. Dark hair pulled up into a bun, serious violet eyes hidden by her silver rimmed glasses.

She offered a proper salute, which Alex returned, "Colonel Kati Mannequin, reporting as ordered. It's nice to meet you in person, Colonel Strassmeier. Your reputation precedes you. I look forward to working together."

"And I look forward to working with you, ma'am. Between my skills and your tactics, we may yet win this." Alex said.

(Union Orbital Elevator, Lower Orbital Station)

The Flight lounge of the station's inner hanger was abuzz with passengers and families alike, waiting for their shuttles. Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long stood at the window, looking at the starscape.

"We've been standing here for the better part of two hours, Are we waiting for something, Mistress?" Hong Long asked.

The Manipulator smiled, "Our contact, the mysterious Mr. Anderson should be arriving soon. I wanted to meet him in person so I set up this little meeting."

"Very well mistress," He said, continuing to look out at the crowds.

She then heard a trio of women talking amongst themselves, The Chinese socialite smirked, "Looks like Ms. Sumeragi and her crew has arrived."`

Sumeragi couldn't believe her eyes, "Wang Liu Mei, We weren't expecting to run into you here." She said.

"My duties carry me all over the place. Comes in my line of work, you understand?" Liu Mei replied quickly, covering up her surprise. "You going planet side for some leave time?"

"Yes, I am. I think we're all a little eager to get off the ship. Breath some fresh air for a change." She looked back to where Christina was chatting Feldt's ear off about doing some heavy duty shopping once they hit terra firma. "She's is in full shopper mode. I won't be able to keep hold of her leash once we've arrived. I feel sorry for Feldt. She'd rather be back on the _Ptolemaios_ with the Haros instead of becoming Christina's life sized Barbie doll."

Liu Mei giggled, "I wish you well then Miss Sumeragi, I'll see about getting you accommodations near some prime shopping locations for Miss Sierra."

"Christina would become your friend for the rest of eternity if you did that." Sumeragi smiled. "So what are you here for?"

Liu Mei's expression became very guarded, leading Sumeragi a few steps away from the younger girls, "I'm really not supposed to say anything about it, but I've got a contact coming in, He has some vital information about the target for our next intervention. I'm waiting for his shuttle to arrive. You'll understand if I can't tell you about it right away."

Before the tactician could reply, the intercom came on. "All Hands clear the Flight deck, Incoming Spacecraft. CBC3 _Darkstar_ you are cleared for landing."

Liu Mei smirked, "Ah, he's here." The four women watched the ship enter. And it was clear it was NOT just a shuttle. The vessel, painted a dark golden-yellow and a sharp forest green maneuvered onto one of the vacant landing pads, twin barrels that were clearly cannons of some kind bristled from every inch. It was a raptor, and letting everyone know it. The engines shut down with a sigh.

Feldt took a closer look at the ship's hull. The green part seemed almost iridescent, as if the light was dancing off the coating. But she quickly realized there was no light at all, the light was coming from the ship itself. "Chris…is it just me or is that paint...moving?" She said uneasily. The brunette nearly fainted.

Sumeragi's mind raced, this vessel wasn't Celestial Being, but nor was it Union, AEU, or with the Human Reform League. "Who is this informant of yours?" She asked Wang Liu Mei. "Cause I seriously doubt that belongs to any of the blocs!"

"I honestly do not know, Miss Sumeragi. I'm as surprised as you are." The Darkstar's passengers disembarked the ship. "It appears we're about to find out." Out walked a man wearing a tasteful business suit with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes.

"Wang Liu Mei, I presume?" the man spoke an authoritative voice. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Nathan Anderson. I must say you're even prettier in person."

"Why thank you, Mr. Anderson. That's such a sweet thing to say." She said, flattered. She noticed two men, one Asian, the other fair skinned with steel rimmed glasses covering brilliant green eyes, that had followed them. "And who are these two gentlemen with you? Friends of yours?"

Nathan just looked over his shoulder, "Just a couple of passengers we picked up along the way." The two men, walked off. Christina couldn't help but check out the man with glasses. He gave her a smile and a salute. Christina blushed and waved to him.

"Train PX544 is ready for departure." The PA system blared.

"Oh, that's our ride. We'll see you later, ma'am." Sumeragi gave a wave and Feldt and Christina followed her. The busty brunette sidled up to the younger girl. "So…see something you liked back there? I saw how you were ogling that guy with the glasses…he was cute. You should have said something to him."

The computer tech flushed again, she had been particularly taken with how his glasses caught the light. "I was speechless." Christina admitted, little did she know what was to come. As the train headed down to the Earth's surface, the girls sat in their cabin. Feldt was curled up in her chair, sound asleep, while Sumeragi was passed out from one too many drinks. Christina was looking over a performance report when the door opened unexpectedly.

Christina's heart nearly leaped up into her throat.

The guy with the glasses stuck his head in, "Excuse me, Miss. Mind if I join you? My cabin seems to have electrical problems. I don't exactly relish the idea of sitting in the dark all the way Earth-side if you catch my drift."

Christina flushed, putting her work away, "Sure, but mind my friends okay?" she smiled.

"No problem." He replied, sitting across from Christina.

"So do you have a name or do I have to come up with something for you?" She smiled, her cheeks turning pink.

"Anthony Russo." He replied, smoothly. "And do you have a name?"

"Christina…Christina Sierra." She replied.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Sierra." he said, "So where are you going to when you reach Earth? What are your plans?"

"Oh please, just call me Chris. As for where I'm going. I'm just spending some time with my friend and another girl we know." She replied. "I'm planning on doing some big time shopping. It's kind of a hobby of mine."

He nodded, "A shopaholic huh? I got Friends waiting for me as well. Perhaps you would be interested in going out to dinner, if you have the time that is?"

"Oh really?" the brunette suddenly wished the power could go out so she could hide her reddened face. Anthony just gave his usual warm gaze and stroked her face.

"Yeah." he chuckled, "I could give you a call when my business is concluded. What do you say?"

"I-I'd love to." Christina replied, glad she was sitting down, since she was pretty sure she was going to faint. The two conversed the whole way down, and soon the PA dinged, announcing they'd arrived at the surface station. "It was nice meeting you, Anthony. I'm going to hold you to that dinner."

"I would never imagine of standing up a pretty woman. Until next time, Chris!" He left the cabin.

(JNN Headquarters, Tokyo)

Kinue sat in her office, her investigation into Celestial Being's origins had hit a dead end, but like a true reporter, she wasn't going to stop until she found the answers she sought. Her cell phone ringing, number was an unfamiliar one. She hit the talk button. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon, Miss Crossroad. How are you today?" a familiar voice said, "I told you I would call back."

"Mr. Looking Glass…" Kinue said, "Yes you did. So I take it you want to speak in person?"

He chuckled on the other end of the line, "Smart girl. Check your email, You should have a reservation card for Satoshi's restaurant, tomorrow night at nine o'clock, sharp. When the hostess asks for a name tell her Harold " She checked her email and found the card to be there. Looking Glass spoke again, "I paid for it out of my own pocket. So be grateful. One more thing, when you arrive at home, a package will be waiting for, something for you to wear for the meeting, something that you can't get on a reporter's paycheck."

"Alright…" Kinue said.

"Arrive a half hour early, my real name is Roland."

"Okay...Roland." Kinue said.

"See you tomorrow night."

"You too." The line cut and the phone's most recent data automatically cleared up. Kinue decided to head home early. She arrived back her apartment to see the wrapped box on the ground. Kinue looked it over, noticing it was addressed to her by name, with no return address. Kinue carried it inside, and put it on the table. She opened it up, and gasped. It was a simple black sleeveless dress, just below knee length.

The note inside read, "This is a gift. I hope you'll like it. RH"

Kinue pulled the dress out and gave it once over. "He has good taste at least." She remarked.

(_Ptolemaios_, Sumeragi's quarters)

Sumeragi sat at her desk, "Veda, show me your predictions." She commanded. a map of the world came up, highlighting several hotspots across the globe. "So they're the same as mine. We've got twelve counter plans. No matter which of them we choose, each of them carries a high risk, but we have to go through with it." Her view screen came on.

"Miss Sumeragi, Taribia is making an announcement right now. You might want to see it!" Christina exclaimed. Sumeragi looked to one point on the screen.  
"I knew it would be Taribia." She said. The whole world watched as the Prime Minister of the South American nation denounced the hegemony the United States claimed to hold over the whole of the Union and promptly withdrew, demanding unrestricted access to the solar array. They also warned any pressure to back down would be met with military force.

Sumeragi didn't waste any more time. She went to the briefing room where the entire crew was gathered. "Prepare to start the intervention, and notify the Gundam Meisters at once." She ordered. At two different points around the world, the mighty war machines slowly came to life and converged on South America.

(Union Airspace)

Graham's Custom Flag cut through the sky, followed by the Flags belonging to Howard, Darryl, and Joshua. "So we're going to finally meet these Gundams in combat? I'm looking forward to this, Lieutenant." Howard said.

"I'm eager to see how the new Custom Flag will stand up against them…because it HAS to hold up to them.'

"Heh, perhaps they should have given that Custom Flag to someone who actually knows what they're doing, Aker?" Joshua sneered.

"You talking about yourself, Edwards?" Darryl replied hotly. "Professor Eifman tuned that Flag specifically for the Lieutenant. You want it so badly, ask him to do it yourself!"

"That's enough from you!" Graham ordered, "We'll be hitting Taribian airspace in a few hours. So quit bickering and look sharp everyone!" The four Flags continued towards their destination.

Joshua stewed inside his cockpit, glaring at the Black Flag with intense disgust. "You think you're such hot stuff, Aker. But I'll show you who the REAL top ace of the Union is one day!"

(_Ptolemaios_, Earth orbit over South America)

Feldt and Christina's fingers danced over their keyboards, carefully monitoring every little bit of data that scrolled before their eyes. "The Union's Sixth Combined Task Force and the United States Second Naval Fleet have arrived off the coast of Taribia." Feldt reported. "Union Air Force craft have taken off from the Brazilian Garrison as well. They have control of the skies over the nation's three main cities as well."

"What about the Taribian forces?" Sumeragi asked.

"They've deployed ground troops around the cities as well." Christina replied.

"It's about what we suspected," Lasse remarked.

"So what do we do now, Miss Sumeragi?" Lichty asked the tactician. The busty brunette floated towards her seat and looked down at the Earth below.

"We do the only thing we can do." She replied, taking a few more minutes. Sumeragi took a deep breath and uttered two words that everyone had been waiting for. "Commence operation."

(Taribian Coastal Waters)

Two dark figures floated high in the sky, out of range of the Union's sensors. "And so it begins." Reaper said. "You know what needs to done, right?"

"Understood, boss. I'll keep tabs on the Union and American fleets and transmit the data back to the Ptolemaios." Hawk replied, his machine turned and headed in the direction of the waiting ships. Reaper then looked back towards where the sun and sky touched. His lips curled into a thin smile when saw a faint glimmer on the horizon, the glimmer of GN particles.

He adjusted the zoom on his cameras and saw the Exia, Dynames, and Kyrios heading towards the coast. "Right on schedule. Show these guys just how we really do business." Reaper said, settling back to enjoy the show.

(Renquist Air Station)

The Crimson Fox stood in the control room, looking up at the master situation monitor, noticing the red blips representing the Gundams. "Report." He said.

"The commander of the Second Fleet just reported visual contact of one of the Gundams, flew right by them. They've now split and up, each of them is heading for a major city." Rick said.

"The question is what are they going to do from here? Are they going to attack us or not?" Daisuke said, wrenching his hands in frustration.

"If they do attack, they'll be assisting the Taribians in their agenda. And if they just sit back and just let us roll right over them, they'll look like hypocrites. The classic rock and a hard place." Rick replied. "What do you think is going to transpire, Admiral?"

The Crimson Fox put his hands behind his back. "To be honest…I don't think Celestial Being's going to do either." He replied. Daisuke and Rick both looked at Mark funny. "Just wait and see gentlemen. It will all become clear in a few minutes if I'm right."

(Taribian Capital)

The silence of the day was cut by a shaft of magenta colored light streaking down from the afternoon sky, piercing a VMS-15 Realdo belonging to the Taribian Second Ground Defense Battalion. The remaining mobile suits scattered in all directions, the pilots frantically looking around for the source of shot.

"What is this? Is this the start of the Union's attack?" One pilot cried out. Another pink beam lanced out, impaling another Realdo. They looked upwards to see the Exia, beam rifle primed. "A Gundam? Why are they doing this? We've done nothing wrong!"

Setsuna just grunted, "Aeolia Scheuberg said so in his declaration. All countries that promote war are targets for armed intervention. We determine Taribia is promoting war…Gundam Exia, Setsuna F. Seiei, eliminating all targets." Exia swooped down, opening fire on the Taribian forces. The bladed Gundam landed, and lunged towards the beige colored Realdos. The massive blade hacked through the hapless enemy forces.

Caught completely off guard, the Taribian forces started firing blindly at the Gundams. Kyrios swooped through enemy fire, the double-barreled beam rifle spitting out magenta colored death. Allelujah shook his head "This is just so one sided." He remarked.

Lockon looked on impassively at the Taribian forces, "Dynames, targeted and firing." He monotoned, squeezing the trigger, and downing two Realdos with one shot. He fired again, dropping another enemy mobile suit. He let the rifle shaped control device retract back into the ceiling, "Taking advantage of us without our permission is NOT allowed."

Reaper could barely contain his laughter. "Idiots…that's the price you pay for trying to bring us into your little squabble, Serves you right."

In Montana, Daisuke was gob smacked. He couldn't believe that Celestial Being was going after the Taribians. Mark just smirked, "I told you Celestial Being wouldn't attack the Union forces. Taribia was the one who seceded and started the whole conflict so they were the ones who promoted the war in the first place."

"Celestial Being really doesn't take sides, do they?" Daisuke said.

"It would appear so," Mark said. A certain red phone on the table started ringing. The Fox picked it up. He spent a few minutes listening to the voice on the other end. "Understood sir." He hung up, "That was General Forrest at the Pentagon. President Stegmeyer just spoke with the Taribian Prime Minister and…convinced him to reverse his original decision to leave the Union. Our forces are moving to defend the country and fend off Celestial Being."

"What's the location of Graham and his squad?" Rick asked.

"They just entered Taribian airspace. They will intercept the Gundams in six minutes!" Daisuke said. "Time to see what Professor Eifman's handiwork can do!"

(_Ptolemaios_)

"The Union and American mobile suit teams are taking off. It appears they're moving to protect Taribia just as you expected, Miss Sumeragi." Christina reported.

"I see," she replied.

"Following with the mission plan, each Gundam will withdraw and fall back to a safe zone." Feldt said, paying close attention to the blip marked "Dynames"

"What a complete farce," Tieria grunted, floating in the corridor outside the bridge.

"Just a minute! I've got a machine closing on the Exia! It's one of America's Flags…this can't be right." Christina wasn't sure she could believe her eyes at the data she was looking at. "It's twice as fast as the specs!"

"American? What are they up to?" Sumeragi remarked.

"I don't know, but it's heading for the Exia!" Christina exclaimed.

(Union airspace)

Setsuna had spotted the incoming contact at the same time Christina had. He saw the dark shape of Graham's Custom Flag approaching. "A new model of Flag?" He remarked, noticing the black paint job and the powerful looking new rifle.

Graham meanwhile was brimming with anticipation. He was about to face Exia for the second time. "Another chance to fight the Gundams? That Mr. President, was well played," Graham smirked. He started opening fire on the Exia with quick shots from the XLR. Exia weaved in between the pale blue bursts, the Custom Flag whizzed by him, Graham brought the Flag around in a tight circle, and did a quick switch into mobile suit mode.

Setsuna fired off a few rounds but the Flag evaded quickly as Exia had earlier. "He's fast!" he remarked. "The Union has been innovating. Is this a response to us?" Graham started firing on Exia again, and one round nearly found its mark, whizzing by the Gundam's right shoulder.

He pulled out a sonic blade from one of the arm compartments and activated the plasma feed, winding up for a big swing. Setsuna activated a beam saber and the two blades strained against each other. Exia went for a wide, horizontal slash and Graham parried, chaining it into an upward slice followed by a quick jab.

Setsuna decided the fight had no further merit and fled the scene, skirting close to the water. Graham wasn't about to let him go so easily. He started firing the XLR one more time, the 200mm shells streaked across the sky, and a lucky shot found its mark, pinging off the shield.

"Got 'em!" Graham smirked. Exia sank into the water, leaving Graham alone. The Flags of his wingmen approached.

"Excellent, Lieutenant!" Howard remarked.

"He got away!" Darryl frowned.

"Yeah, Nicely, done. You let the Gundam slip through our fingers…again!" Joshua sneered.

Graham paid no mind to him, "With the Custom Flag, I was able to stand up to the Gundam, but it turned out to have underwater capabilities. You're just a little too versatile, Gundam."

"So what's our next move, oh fearless leader?" Joshua poured on the sarcasm.

"We return to base, I'm sure Professor Eifman and Lieutenant Sanada can make good use of the data we accumulated." Graham remarked. He looked to the water where Exia disappeared. "Until the next time we meet Gundam…next time."

Author's Notes: The Union, AEU, and HRL prepare their warriors for battle against Celestial Being, and Graham gets to try his new blade against Exia for the very first time. This is my Christmas present for everyone, so please enjoy it. See you all in 2012!


	6. Rescue in Low Orbit

Disclaimer: Sunrise owns Gundam 00. Mark Lamperouge is mine. Anthony Russo is Wing Commander White Wolf's.

Saga of the Crimson Fox

By Storm Wolf77415

Rescue in Low Orbit

Nathan and Liu Mei walked into one of the restaurants located on the elevator's low orbital station. "Allow me, madam," Nathan said, pulling out the chair for the lovely Chinese girl. Every man in the room could not peel their eyes away from her, dressed in a simple cream-colored blouse, dark purple knee length skirt and heels.

"Why thank you, Mr. Anderson. It's so nice some men remember what it means to be a gentleman." Liu Mei replied, as the bespectacled man sat down across from her.

"Manners are something that never grow out of style, but we're not here to discuss the finer points of etiquette now, are we? I believe we have some business to attend to."

Long, delicate nails rapped on the table top, and she looked outwards to a certain gold and green vessel, "Indeed, although I was wondering about your transport. It's not like any shuttle I've ever seen before. It drew just a bit of attention from port authorities."

Nathan's eyes gave a knowing gleam. "You're curious about the _Darkstar_? Well I suppose it would turn a few heads. She's truly one of a kind. I'd like to tell you the specifics but I'm afraid it's classified. Let's just say that acquiring the proper docking permits for a ship of that type are incredibly annoying. Too many paranoid people in this world."

"Well, it does appear to be armed to the teeth, that would give many people pause." She offered.

"Yes it is, Miss Wang. But it's a necessary evil. A man in my line of work feels safer if he has some protection." Nathan replied. "I've had to dodge quite a few inquiries onto how I came about it, but rest assured it's harmless to those who don't wish to cause trouble."

Liu Mei nodded, resolving to learn more when she could. She decided to move on, "Indeed, so what intel do you have for me?" Nathan set down his briefcase and opened it up, pulling out several files.

"The HRL is testing a new class of Tieren. Unlike previous models designed to be used in a specific terrain. This new version is able to operate optimally on both Earth and in space. It's highly maneuverable and performs above any other variants currently in service. Although it still makes use of the same weaponry that all other Tierens do." Nathan said, "But the real kicker is that is that it can accept Quantum Brainwave control so it can operated by a super soldier." He finished.

Liu Mei frowned, looking at the files closer, "The Human Reform League continued its research into Quantum Brainwaves? I thought they shut that program down years ago after the last Solar War ended."

Nathan smirked, "So did most of the HRL brass until she appeared." He slid a picture of Soma across the table. "Second Lieutenant Soma Peries, Designation: Super Soldier Number 1. To date she is the only completed subject that we know of, but that hardly means anything. I've been asking for background information but so far my contacts have all come up empty. My people have been scouting all over Earth for the institute itself, but its location has eluded us thus far. Lieutenant Peries is the pilot for the new model. That much we know for sure."

The socialite turned spy looked from the picture of Soma to the Tieren and back. "You think this was built to fight the Gundams?"

"It's a very good possibility. She was assigned to a new unit called the Chobu Squadron, under the command of…" Nathan whistled "Colonel Sergei Smirnov. It looks like the blocs are reacting very seriously to our raids if they're putting the Wild Bear of Russia on our trail."

He put the file away, and pulled out another, "It's not just the HRL either." Nathan produced a picture of the Custom Flag battling with Exia in Taribia. "This was taken during the intervention in Taribia. A modified Flag appeared and battled the Exia for a short time before Seiei fled underwater. Improvements included stronger engines and a new model of rifle."

Liu Mei frowned, "The Union's been busy. What do we know about their plans?"

He smirked again, "The unit is overseen by Rear Admiral Mark Lamperouge, the Crimson Fox. He's been put in charge of all of the Union's Anti-Gundam operations. The brass at the Pentagon has charged him with capturing one of our mobile suits. The actual unit is field commanded by Naval Senior Lieutenant Graham Aker, who the Custom Flag was tuned for. The only three pilots thus far are Lieutenant Junior Grade Joshua Edwards, Warrant Officer Howard Mason, and Chief Petty Officer Darryl Dodge. Professor Ralph Eifman, Billy Katagiri, and Lieutenant Junior Grade Daisuke Sanada serve as technical staff."

The Chinese beauty sipped her drink, "Ralph Eifman you say…he's one of the most brilliant minds the Union's produced. I can't say I'm surprised. They would want the very best available."

"Correct, although he's not entirely against you. He's an idealist. The Professor supported our actions in Taribia to destroy the drug fields, but he's opposed on other views, but that's neither here nor there." He said.

He pulled out one last file, producing pictures of Alex and Kati. "Last on the list is the AEU. They've also put together a special unit I believe is intended to fight us. Right now the unit has only three people in it, Colonel Kati Manniquin is the main strategist and tactician. Lieutenant Colonel Alex Strassmeier is the field commander, and the only pilot they have right now is Second Lieutenant Patrick Colaseur."

Liu Mei cocked an eyebrow, "Isn't that the pilot of the new Enact that Exia defeated so easily in our first appearance?" He nodded, "How did he end up in an elite unit like that?"

Nathan shrugged, "Despite that incident, his records show that the Lieutenant is a superb pilot. He's just never seen actual combat before. There have been murmurs that the AEU is getting ready to make a move soon, but there's nothing concrete yet. I'll keep sifting through and get back to you." He said, collecting the papers and putting them back inside his briefcase. "Will our payment arrangement be as usual?"

"Of course Mr. Anderson. Expect it in your bank account as normal." She stood up, "I must say it's a pleasure doing business with you. Thank you for the drink, until next time." She said, walking out of the café, her hips swaying hypnotically.

Nathan rolled his eyes in annoyance, snapping his attaché shut. "Opportunistic bitch." He huffed, making his way back to the _Darkstar_. He didn't want to stay a moment longer than he had to.

(Fresno, California. Union)

Christina stood in front of an upscale Italian restaurant. She checked her watch another time, waiting for her date to show up. "He'd better not have stood me up! It took me two hours to put this outfit together!" She hissed. The tactical operator had indeed dressed to the nines. She had picked a spaghetti strap sundress, in the bright peach color she preferred. It came to rest just above her knees, and a pair of peach high-heeled sandals completed the ensemble. She was about to go inside when a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" a warm familiar voice spoke.

"I was starting to wonder. I thought you might have stood me up." She smiled. The hands came away and Christina turned to see Anthony, wearing a plain white button-up shirt and jeans. Christina batted her eyelashes cutely, "Do you like what you see?" she cooed.

"I do indeed. And I'm hurt you'd think I would stand up a lady as pretty as you are. I would never stand you up, Miss Sierra. I'm not that kind of man." Anthony said, kissing her hand. "Shall we go in? Our reservation was for seven after all." The couple entered and was promptly seated in a corner booth. The two opened up their menus.

"What are you going try Christina?"

"I think I'll try out their house special, the spaghetti." She peeked her head over the menu, and gave a playful wink.

"I'm thinking their steak looks rather appealing." He said with a slight smile. The waitress came and took their order, "Since we have some time until our meals come, I guess we should share a little about each other. Ladies first, of course."

"I work with computers. I guess you could say I'm a hacker of sorts. The hours are long but the pay is awesome!" she said.

"You told me that on the train." Anthony remarked. "I could see why you like to shop. Perhaps you'd like me to buy you something? This wouldn't be a date otherwise. I have a rather healthy paycheck so it wouldn't be an issue. Helps when you're a doctor."

Christina's eyes lit up. "You're a doctor? Good looking _and_ a doctor? I've hit the jackpot!" She let off a low, happy squeal, tapping her feet in joy, causing more than a few of their fellow patrons to look across the way at them. Anthony gave her hand a small squeeze, and both started blushing. Their dinners arrived and ate in silence, while sending small, love struck glances at each other.

Anthony was happier than he had been in a long time. He picked up his fork and knife and started cutting the bone out of the steak with all the precision to be expected of a surgeon. "As you can see, Miss Sierra. Precision is important in my line of work. I have to be good or else someone could get seriously hurt."

"I'm sure your patients feel very at ease having someone like you to care for them." Christina said. "I know I would."

"Oh yes, they would feel very at ease." Anthony smiled. The two finished their meal and set out for the local strip mall to let Christina indulge in her favorite hobby. Thankfully she kept herself under control for once and only bought one bag's worth of clothes. Christina was skipping merrily down the sidewalk while he watched with bemusement. They passed by a fancy jewelry store and his eyes caught sight of the perfect gift for his date. "Christina stop!"

"What is it?" Christina asked. He led her to a fancy jewelry store.

"I did promise to buy you something, wait here so I can get it okay?" She nodded and waited while he went inside, idly tapping her foot. He came back out twenty minutes later holding a ring box the color of her dress, "Took me longer than I thought. I had to haggle for it." He gently put it in her hand. "My gift to you, don't open it until you get home okay?"

"Alright," She said, hugging it to her chest, "This was a wonderful evening. I had a great time, Anthony. Thank you so much." Christina blushed again, kissing him on the cheek.

"As did I," He replied, pecking her back. "Christina Sierra, you are a fantastic woman. I'll see you again someday. You know we will as well. It's in your lovely eyes. But for now my dear, I must leave you." He turned on his heel and walked into the night. _She has no idea what I really do_, he thought sadly. _It's best to keep it that for now. But still…I'll remember this night for a long time to come._

By herself now, Christina opened the box. She gasped and fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes. It was a ring made of white gold with two dolphins swimming around a sapphire. "I'll never forget you…" She whispered. "Oh, I can't wait to tell Feldt about this!"

(Atlantic Ocean)

It was a clear, moonlit night. The waves gently crashed on the shore of the island where Celestial Being had set up their planet side base. Lockon, Setsuna, and Allelujah were currently on station, waiting for their next assignment while Tieria was in space on the _Ptolemaios_ making his report to Veda, and mostly he preferred it.

Setsuna stood on the beach, looking out at the water. Coming from the Middle East the most water he'd ever seen was when the sink had been full. But still there was a charm to it, a reminder of what he was fighting for. Footsteps came up from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Feldt standing there. "What are you doing out this late?" He asked in his usual monotone.

The pinkette stopped in her tracks, blushing slightly. "I was going to go for a late swim. It seemed like a nice evening." Setsuna pulled out a small flashlight to confirm she was telling the truth. Feldt was in her swimsuit, a one-piece racerback in a kaleidoscope of pastel colors, mostly blue, green, purple, and pink. In her hand was a pair of pink swim fins, "What's wrong?" Feldt asked nervously.

"It's not safe for you to swim alone. You could get hurt and we'd never know about it. I'll keep guard while you do so." He said.

"Uh, thank you, Setsuna." She blushed even more. The two had barely spoken three words to each other when they passed in the halls on the ship, and he was a bit aloof. Still she felt a small sense of warmth emanate from him, and felt reassured by the Kurdish Meister's presence.

She sat down on the beach and started slipping on her flippers. Finished, Feldt did her best duck walk to the water and slid under the waves. She glided through the water with her eyes open. She was amazed at how beautiful the coral reefs were in the pale light of the moon. A school of fish flitted by her and she smiled. After about an hour, Feldt surfaced and to her surprise, Setsuna was still standing where he had been when she entered.

"Did you have a nice swim?" He asked.

"Yes I did. It's so beautiful underwater, all kinds of different fish." She allowed herself a small smile, pulling off her flippers. Feldt sat on the beach, watching the moonlight reflect off the placid surface of the ocean. Setsuna stood a distance away, his ever vigilant gaze focused intently on the young lady.

Feldt shivered slightly, hugging her knees for warmth. He took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders, causing her to blush cutely. He sat down next to the young girl.

She instinctively rested her head against his shoulder. The young pilot felt a sense of uneasiness, but he didn't want to upset his companion. Awkwardly, Setsuna put his arm around Feldt's shoulder. The two teenagers watched the waves crash on the beach.

"It's getting late, we should get some sleep." Setsuna said to Feldt, only to find the pinkette already dozing. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the container, tucking her into his bed. He'd spend the rest of the night watching over her.

The next morning, the Earthbound Meisters were having a teleconference with Sumeragi.

"Veda has our next mission." The busty tactical forecaster said. "It appears the Human Reform League is testing out a new model of the Tieren at the Pillar of Heaven's high orbital station. Our orders are to observe the performance trials and if necessary, destroy the new unit. Allelujah, you'll take the linear rail up to the station, for right now, just watch and see what happens. I'll give you new orders once we've gotten enough data."

"Understood, ma'am." The soft-spoken pilot of Kyrios replied. Sumeragi gave a slight nod and the screen went dark.

"Watch yourself up there, alright?" Lockon warned Allelujah, "We took a lot of heat for what we did in Taribia. Our public image isn't going to fare much better from here."

"I will, don't worry." The pilot of Kyrios reassured the sniper.

(HRL Orbital Elevator "Pillar of Heaven", Low Orbital Station)

A few days later, Allelujah stood in an isolated corridor that opened out on the massive expanse that was space. While he couldn't go all the way up to the high station, reserved for military personnel only, he had Kyrios on standby. He directed his gaze downwards at the massive blue, white, and brown marbled orb that was the planet Earth, Laid out in all its majestic glory. "It just keeps going. Despite all of humanity's failings, the world continues to move," He remarked to himself.

While he found the landscapes of Earth to be very beautiful, it was the silent void of space was where he felt most at home. It was a sentiment shared by Tieria. But both of the Meisters agreed that Earth was worth fighting for.

_You're so pathetic, Allelujah! Could you get any sappier? It's making me sick!_ A harsh voice echoed in the mind of Kyrios's pilot. Allelujah sighed, closing his lone visible eye. This wasn't the first time he had to deal with his better half, and the last thing he needed was his darker side coming out in the middle of a crucial infiltration mission like this one.

_Not all of us revel in destruction like you do, Hallelujah. I'm here on an assignment, not to mindlessly kill everyone who looks at us funny. _He replied. His head jerked over his shoulder when he heard voices coming around the corridor. Allelujah ducked into a nearby room, pressing up against the wall. He saw three people float by, an older man in a green suit, guiding two teenagers, a young man with brown hair and a busty young woman with long blonde hair. He stepped out after they had left. Allelujah headed for the central gathering area for the station, certain he could catch sight of the Tieren Taozi from there.

(Maintenance tunnels)

Saji sighed. The study trip up the solar elevator wasn't as exciting as he'd hoped it would be. Granted the ride up was pretty cool, but Louise's constant nagging was something he could have done without. Still, the two were being given a huge privilege to come up to the elevator and learn about its inner workings.

Their instructor for the duration, Porz Assan, had guided them through the inner workings of the station to an airlock where they donned spacesuits, and stepped out into the void.

"Tell me, Mr. Crossroad. Do you know why the low orbital ring is necessary?" Assan asked.

Saji beamed, he had paid special attention to that part, and read up on the subject. "I sure do! Forcing a magnetic fluid through the ring creates a centrifugal force that helps the station to maintain its orbital altitude." He replied.

Assan gave a nod of approval. "I see you've done your homework."

Louise stood at the very edge of the station, looking down towards Earth. She had never seen a more beautiful sight. "Saji, come look at this!" She called over to her boyfriend.

Saji's nearly stopped when he saw the girl near the edge. "Louise, this place is out of bounds! You could fall off if you're not careful!" His scolding came to an end when he saw the planet below. The two stood side by side, not saying a word. "Wow…I can't find words for it." He admitted.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Pictures don't compare to the real deal!" Louise said.

"Be careful you two! There's still a little gravity all the way up here at ten thousand kilometers above the surface. You fall off here and there's only one way to go and that's straight down towards the planet. Not much will survive the trip to the surface. That's for certain." Assan warned.

"Right, sir!" Saji said.

"We're sorry!" Louise turned to wave. Her footing gave out, and she started tumbling over the edge. Saji reached for her hand and grabbed it, but her momentum started carrying him over too. "Saji, you idiot! You're supposed to save me properly!" She screamed before they came to a stop. Assan had grabbed their support cables.

"Oh boy…" he sighed. "I don't get paid enough for this!"

(High Orbital Station, Hanger)

Sergei and Soma entered the control room, their attention directed to the mighty war machine sitting in front of them. "So this is the one?" Sergei asked the commander.

"Yes Colonel. A machine adapted to Super Soldier Number 1…" he flinched when Sergei glared at him, "That is, Lieutenant Peries's reaction speed. The MSJ-06II-SP Tieren Taozi."

"Tieren Taozi…this will be my mobile suit." Soma whispered, her golden eyes taking in every inch of the brilliant pink machine.

"Our ace in the hole against the Gundams." Sergei remarked. He looked over to the young lieutenant. His heart wrenched at the thought of her stepping onto the battlefield. The Wild Bear of Russia steamed in quiet rage when he recalled the casual disregard the scientists held for her wellbeing when they discussed her capabilities a few days ago.

_Forget all their lofty speeches about humanity surviving in spac_e. _In their eyes she's just a test subject for their damned experiments! It doesn't matter what her origins may be…she's still just a child!_ He thought angrily.

"Something wrong, Colonel?" Soma asked.

"No, Lieutenant. Get suited up, we might as well put this thing through its paces now so we don't have problems later on." He replied.

Twenty minutes later, the Taozi, accompanied by Sergei in an MSJ-06II-ET Tieren Space Commander Type rocketed from the orbital station, heading for the proving ground set up for the test. "Taozi checking in, All systems are clear and in the green." Soma reported.

"Excellent, Lieutenant. Let's test out your machine's maneuverability. Follow the designated course at full acceleration." Sergei ordered.

"Roger that, Colonel." She replied. Soma's eyes narrowed slightly under the constricting helmet. "Here I go!" She said, punching the throttle to maximum. The pink machine's thrusters ignited, sending it hurtling forwards along a gentle arc, one of the side thrusters fired for a course correction. "I am now at maximum acceleration." Soma said.

"A course error of only 0.25 at maximum acceleration? Is this what a Super Soldier can do? But she's still just a child?" Sergei's musings were cut short by an ear-piercing scream over his radio.

(Orbital Station, main terminal.)

It all stared with a sharp stabbing feeling in his brain, followed by a loud buzzing. "What is this feeling?" Allelujah said. He'd been making his way through the terminal, hoping to find a vantage point for the test flight when he got the mother of all headaches. The bag in his hand landed with a dull thud against the hard metal floor.

He sank to his hands and knees, trying desperately to make it stop. "What's up with this headache? It doesn't feel right!" People started looking at Allelujah, wondering if he was all right.

He raised his head, and everyone shrunk back, any signs of compassion were completely gone, replaced by a sinister looking scowl, "Who the hell is this?" The new Allelujah growled, standing up and looking around challengingly "Get the fuck out of my head! Whoever is the bastard doing this…I'm going to kill you!"

In her cockpit the mental pressure building in her head was slowly overwhelming Soma. "It hurts so much!" she winced in pain. The Taozi drifted off course towards the elevator.

Sergei's Tieren trailed behind, "Lieutenant, you're leaving the designated course. What seems to be the problem?"

"Something's wrong with my head, sir." She strained. The Taozi streaked by the elevator. Her pain reached the peak, "NO!" She screamed, targeting systems coming online, her cannon shot up, aiming right at the elevator.

"Stop Lieutenant!" Sergei cried out, knowing his warning was too little, too late.

"GET AWAY!" Soma Peries cried, lobbing multiple 25mm shells at the station. Several impacted on the civilian block. Sergei's Tieren grabbed the Taozi, snatching the cannon away.

"Enough, Lieutenant! That's enough!" Sergei barked. But the damage had been done. Thanks to the spinning of the ring, a three-part section of the gravity block ripped off the elevator, and started a slow cruise towards Earth.

Sergei snapped into command mode at once "This is Colonel Smirnov! A section of the gravity block is heading towards the planet! It will reach Earth interface in ten minutes! Scramble rescue teams at once! Send someone to retrieve Lieutenant Peries's mobile suit! I'm going to assess the situation!"

The space Tieren rocketed towards the gravity block. Sergei checked the clock. "It will reach the escape limit zone in seven minutes!" he checked on the progress of the rescue team. "They won't make it in time. In that case, I have to speed it up again!" Sergei maneuvered his Tieren, ignited the engines, and started pushing with all his might to try and move the several million tons of metal.

(Drifting Gravity Block)

Louise grabbed onto Saji to keep from falling over. "What was that?" she whined. The lights then winked out, and the gravity shut off, sending everyone floating in the air.

"The gravity's been turned off…" Saji said. He grabbed Louise by the arm, "Come on, we need to find a terminal!" The two pushed off a wall and found an embedded computer terminal. "This block has been ripped off the tower. A rescue team is on the way." He said.

"That's good." Despite her words of relief, Louise felt a cold sense of dread building in her stomach. Her feelings intensified when one of the other people nearby spoke up.

"This isn't good! I just did the calculations on my terminal. We've got less than five minutes before hit the atmosphere and when that happens…" he trailed off. No one needed to be told what would happen next.

Louise grabbed Saji's hand. "Saji…" she whimpered.

(Tenchu, cargo bay)

Allelujah finished zipping up his brilliant orange flightsuit. He grabbed his helmet and climbed into the cargo container used to camouflage his mobile suit. He quickly brought Kyrios's systems online. The orange and white machine slowly floated out of the container. Not having the time for subtlety, he aimed the rifle, and blasted a hole in the wall. Kyrios flew out of the elevator and headed straight for the adrift block.

"Allelujah Haptism, rescuing those civilians is NOT part of your mission. Desist and return at once." Wang Liu Mei's voice came over the radio. He quickly switched it off.

"You could never understand the horror of being adrift in space all alone!" He declared, memories of standing over a young boy with a panicked expression, begging him to stop rushing forwards "I'm not going to let those people die alone in the void! Never again! Not EVER again!" He accelerated even faster.

Sergei struggled to push the block out of its decaying orbit. "Damn it. Block Seven just has too much mass. My machine doesn't have enough thrust!"

The Wild Bear of Russia couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Kyrios slowly glide over him.

"Twenty seconds until the escape limit zone! Kyrios…let's do it!" Allelujah said. The Gundam unfolded into a half mobile suit/mobile armor mode. And start pushing with all its might, spouting out green GN particles at a prodigious rate.

"It's working! It's stopped falling. But even with the Gundam's thrust the best we can do is hold our current position. But even then, our energy will give out and we'll start to fall as well." The Bear sighed. His radio then flared to life.

"To all the people in the station. Please move into the central gravity block." The voice of a young man, barely in his twenties spoke clearly. "I repeat, all people move into the central block if you wish to survive! No time, hurry up everyone!" Everyone donned spacesuits and moved into the center like they were told.

Sergei opened a channel to Kyrios, "This is Colonel Sergei Smirnov to the Gundam pilot. We're about to hit Earth interface. Whatever plan you've got hatched, now would be a good time to do it!"

An uncharacteristic smirk crossed the usually soft-spoken Meister's gentle features. "Hehe, don't worry about a thing, Colonel failure is not an option for Celestial Being. And besides which…a Gundam Meister is never alone!" On cue, a massive magenta beam lanced up from Earth's surface, slicing clean through the links of the left block. "Nicely done, Lockon Stratos. Your worthy of that code name after all."

Down on the Meister's island base, the Dynames was lodged against the rock face, a massive sniper rifle in hand. "GN Particle compression in progress." Haro chirped, starting a countdown until the next shot could be fired.

Lockon frowned, "The clouds are getting in my sight and blocking my shot. Tear 'em up Setsuna!" Exia darted gracefully through the sky, dispersing the clouds with a single swing of its mighty GN blade.

"Understood," the youngest Meister said.

"Charging complete!" Haro announced. Dynames loaded a fresh charge, and opened fire. The beam flew straight and true, cutting away the second block.

With the mass now cut by two-thirds, Allelujah dropped the pedal to the floor, and between Kyrios and Sergei's Tieren, the block started moving away from the atmosphere.

"Amazing! To think they could hit all the way from the Earth itself?" The Wild Bear was truly in awe. His screen started blinking. He saw the rescue team slowly approaching. "About time they showed up." Kyrios slowly moved away from the block, transformed back into full mobile armor mode and streaked away.

"Colonel, it's the Gundam! Do you want us to pursue it?" The commander of the escort team asked.

"Negative! The rescue of the civilians is our top priority! Besides which, I'm not so cold as to be ungrateful for their help." He said. Everyone was quickly offloaded onto the transports and quickly sped back towards the orbital station.

Saji and Louise clung to each other, happy to be alive. "We came close to dying back there, didn't we? It's so unreal, I'm just glad its over." Louise said.

"What did you want to say to me earlier?" Saji asked. The blonde Spaniard blushed.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." She said.

(Satoshi's restaurant, Japan One week later.)

Kinue nervously picked at the collar of her new dress. It showed off her body without being trashy about it. She'd even gotten a new pair of black heels to go with it. The reporter entered the restaurant. A few days had passed since the incident with the elevator. She was very grateful to Celestial Being for helping save her brother and now wanted answers now more than ever.

"Excuse me, my name is Kinue Crossroad. I was told to wait for a Mr. Harold?" She spoke to the hostess.

"Oh yes, we were told to expect you, ma'am. Follow me." Kinue was led to her seat, waiting for her date to show up. She didn't have long to wait.

"Mm, you do make that dress look good." A deep baritone came from behind her. The voice belonged to a man a few years older than her, wearing a simple business suit with short-cropped dark brown hair, brilliant silver eyes behind glasses with dark green rims.

"Mr. Looking Glass I presume?" She asked.

"Roland Harold at your service. I'd give you my business card, but that would sort of negate the purpose of us being a secret organization now, would it?" He replied, sitting down across from her, "Quite the little bit of drama last week, huh? I'm glad your brother and his girlfriend are all right. I trust they've recovered from the whole ordeal?"

Kinue rolled her eyes. "Louise hasn't stopped carrying on about it since they got back. I swear spoiled little rich girls are the most obnoxious things on this entire planet!"

Roland let out a small chuckle. "I wouldn't know personally. How about we on to more pressing matters? I promised you answers about your father's connection to Celestial Being, and what Aeolia Schuenberg's purpose for the organization right?"

"That you did." She said. "So what is Celestial Being really up to? What's the whole story? I find the whole concept of using violence to eradicate war to be rather ridiculous."

Roland leaned forward, the candlelight catching in his mirror reflective eyes. "Before I tell you anything, Miss Crossroad. I need your word you will not speak about any of what I'm going to tell you here. You've stumbled onto something far bigger than you realize. It will put your life at risk…your brother's too. There's any number of people who would love to learn our secrets. It's my job to keep those secrets safe. But I like you, Miss Crossroad. So if you cooperate with us, I can guarantee the safety of you two."

She glowered. "Fine. But it better be worth it. My editor would have a fit if he knew I had learned something and couldn't talk about it."

Roland smiled triumphantly, "Good girl. All right then, welcome to my world, Kinue Crossroad…Prepare to have your life changed forever!"


	7. Moralia Pt 1

Disclaimer: Gundam 00 belongs to Sunrise. Mark Lamperouge is mine. Anthony Russo is Wing Commander White Wolf's, Daisuke Sanada is Centurious the Azure's, Alex and Andrea Strassmeier is Dragoon Swordsman's.

Saga of the Crimson Fox

By Storm Wolf77415

Moralia Pt. 1

(South Africa)

A pair of dark figures walked through the remains of the mine Dynames had destroyed. They noted the shattered Workloaders lying throughout the entire quarry. They wouldn't have lasted long against regular mass production units, much less an unrelenting force like a Gundam. One of the men picked up a scorched piece of one of the damaged machines. He regarded it for a few minutes before chucking it over his shoulder.

"This Celestial Whatmacallit is bad for business," he said in deep, raspy tone. "If people can't mine these rocks, the nation's economy will go bust. Care to guess how many countries and industries will be affected by this?" He said to his partner. "But they don't care! If they can eradicate war, then they don't care much about the people on the bottom."

Another man ran up, clenching a cell phone in his hand. "Hey boss! It's the people at the PMC Trust. They want to speak to you right away." He said, handing it to the first man.

"Hello, Ali Al-Saachez here." He replied. "Listen…what kind of game do you think you're playing here? We got all the way here and there's nothing but debris!" Ali was not pleased at all to find his meal ticket reduced to scrap. "What? You're cancelling the contract? Mercenaries like us live by fighting! Keep this up and Moralia's economy is going to collapse!" He sighed in resignation. "Very well then…Al-Saachez Team will return to headquarters." Ali's lips twisted into a sinister grin. The wind whipped through his thick mane of wild brown hair.

"Well boys, this wasn't a total loss. The big shots at the AEU have decided to get off their lazy asses and do something about this situation. I've been called back home to…liaise with the special team they put together to fight this Celestial whatever group. They want one of these Gundams and promising a very hefty reward to anyone who manages it."

(Renquist Air Force Base, Montana)

Mark was sitting in his office going over the latest intelligence reports from Celestial Being's latest string of interventions. "They are having an effect, dear." He said to the picture of Cornelia. "There's a part of me that's happy and distressed all at the same time. I mean the level of conflict in the world has gone down considerably, but there's a lot of people who don't like that."

He smiled, picking up the portrait of his wife, "They're the kind of people you love to hate, Nell. Bunch of crooked politicians and industrialists who make their living through selling weapons. My soldier's instincts are telling me another big intervention is coming our way, and very soon." The door swung open, admitting his executive officer. "Come on in, Rick."

"Admiral, I think you're going to want to see this." Hunter replied. The two men quickly headed into the central ops. The Crimson Fox took a look at the big board, noticing a heavy amount of troops moving into a certain area of southeastern France. "The AEU just announced a large scale military exercise in Moralia alongside the PMC Trust. It looks like they're going to take their first swing at Celestial Being."

Mark nodded, his eyes not wavering, "Oh yeah. They might as well just hang up a sign saying come on and attack us." Mark said. "Well, let's see how the boys from Brussels fare." One of the aides brought over a clipboard. He whistled in surprise, looking at the estimated figures for potential troop numbers. "Wow, over a hundred thirty mobile suits? They're really trying to bring them down. They even deployed their own Anti-Gundam team."

"The Silver Spider, huh?" Hunter remarked, "He could give even Graham a run for his money. I don't know about this boss. Celestial Being's tech is just so above our own. If we weren't able to even scratch the Gundams, what makes the AEU or Human Reform League think they can do any better? My honest opinion, Moralia is going to be just as bad to the AEU as Taribia was to us, maybe even worse."

Mark shrugged, "We'll just have to see where the dice land, Commander Hunter. The ball is in the AEU's court now. We're just spectators at this point." Graham and the rest of the team entered. "Ah, hello gentlemen. I take it you've heard about what's going down in Moralia?"

"Indeed sir, it's all over the news." Joshua said. "So when are we going?"

"Going where, Lieutenant Edwards?" The Fox replied, "This isn't a Union operation and I doubt the senior brass are going to sanction such an op anyway. So, sorry I guess you're just going to have to wait for your next chance at glory." Mark turned on his heel and went back into his office, enjoying watching the arrogant young man stew in anger.

(PMC Trust Base, Moralia)

Alex was in the hanger, overlooking the improvements being made to his Enact. Like Graham's Custom Flag, the mobile suit had undergone a complete overhaul to prepare it for fighting the Gundams. One of the technicians climbed down, approaching the masked commander. "Well Colonel Strassmeier, its all set. Say hello to the AEU-09B Enact Alex Strassmeier Custom. This may very well be the most powerful mobile suit our nation has ever created."

The man known as the Silver Spider gave a slight nod of approval, "Indeed, what exactly have you done to it?" He asked.

"For starters, it's been given an anti-beam coating to better withstand the Gundam's energy weapons. We've also installed high performance plasma engines to give it more thrust. The frame's been reinforced to handle the greater speed. But the biggest change is your primary weapon." The tech indicated to a heavy looking rifle hanging on the wall with two barrels, one slightly longer than the other "A 155mm linear sniper rifle. You could plug a target from half way across the planet with this bad boy, in addition to that, we've included a regular 120mm linear rifle underneath."

"I'll put it to the test," the Spider said. Looking with disgust over to where Patrick's Enact was getting the same treatment, "You doing the same to Lieutenant Colaseur's machine?"

"Yes sir, although it won't be as extensive as the modifications we made to yours. I hate to say this, but I wouldn't shed any tears if he got blown to bits. He's so annoying, going on how he's the top ace in the AEU. Wasn't he the guy who got sliced to ribbons when the Gundams appeared in the first place?"

"That he was. I'd like to get rid of him, but until more pilots show up. I'm forced to use what I have."

(Pilot's lounge)

Patrick kicked back on a couch, Dreams of beating down the Gundams and coming home a hero dancing in his head. He was determined to prove just how good he really was and what happened against Exia was fluke.

He sat up when he saw an angel walk into the room. A young woman in her mid-twenties, wearing the AEU Class A uniform, complete with skirt that showed a very fine pair of legs. Straight raven black hair cascaded down her back, swaying in the slight breeze caused by the air conditioning. There was a sly, playful gleam in her ice blue eyes.

Patrick put on what he considered a charming smile and sauntered over to the new arrival. "Hey babe, you new in town?"

She offered a dazzling smile, "Why yes I am. I just transferred. My name's Andrea, Who are you?"

"I'm Second Lieutenant Patrick Colaseur, the greatest ace in all of the AEU! I could tell you more over dinner, if you're interested." Colaseur leered.

"I think I would have something to say about that!" a voice warm as cold helium said. Patrick froze at the sound of his commanding officer's voice. He willed himself not to turn around, but Alex grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing Patrick to find himself eye to eyehole.

The tense moment was broken when the girl named Andrea let out a small squeal, latching onto the Spider's arm. "Hey Brother! Been awhile hasn't it?"

"B-brother?" Patrick sputtered. Alex's face was unreadable, but the irritation was clear in his voice.

"Yes, this is Major Andrea Strassmeier, my younger sister." Alex said, the disproving frown on his face clearly saying "back off." Patrick slunk away to sulk in a corner. The Silver Spider shook his head, then directed his attention to his sibling, "What are you doing here anyway?"

Andrea smiled, nuzzling her brother's arm more. "I heard you were heading up the Gundam hunt, and I wanted in on the action. So I requested a transfer to your unit. Isn't that great? We haven't seen each other since shipping out for basic." She smiled.

"Lovely," Alex deadpanned. She pouted. "Don't start with me, Andrea. I'm not in the mood." The two took a seat, looking out across the desert.

Andrea brushed her hand against the side of his helmet. "Take that stupid mask off, bro. I want to see your face. It's been so long. I don't want to have to look at it while we talk." She said. Alex sighed, doffing the helmet. Andrea clapped her hands together, "That's much better! Half the time I forget what you look like when it's on."

"Whatever." Alex rolled his eyes, a brilliant blue just like his sister's. "The mask has a reason, Andrea. If I don't wear it-"

"You hear everyone's thoughts and it sounds like a million people talking all at once. I'm no stranger to it." Andrea said, leaning forward. "But aren't you at least happy to see me? You didn't even say that much. Don't I even get that?"

Alex held his sister's hands, "Of course I'm glad to see you, Andrea. I've missed you more than you can know. I'm just really busy now that these Gundams have shown up. You've seen what they can do, haven't you?" She nodded, "Then you know how dangerous they really are."

"I know all about dangerous. I also know being our true top ace you've got a big job ahead of you. You realize you don't have to carry it alone, right? I'm way more reliable than Lieutenant Casanova." The twins both shared a small chortle. "So am I in, or not, Colonel? Do I get the chance to prove myself?"

Alex sat back in his chair, sighing, "You came all this way, might as well. Kati's not a bad conversationalist. But it would be nice to have some extra company beyond Patrick." The door swung open, admitting a very furious Kati. "Speak of the devil." Alex said, quickly reapplying his mask. The tactical forecaster's face was one of murderous intent. "Something wrong, Colonel Manniquin?"

"Yes," she then noticed Andrea, "Who is this?"

"Quick intro, Colonel Kati Manniquin this is my sister, Major Andrea Strassmeier. She transferred into our unit just now. The two of us were just catching up."

"An honor to meet you, Colonel. I'm looking forward to working with you." Andrea offered her best salute.

Kati returned it, "Sorry if I'm agitated, but I just came from talking with the PMC Trust officials. It appears they're concerned about collateral damage when we fight the Gundams. They requested one of their top agents, and I use that term very loosely, to ride shotgun with us." Kati rolled her eyes in disgust "Mercenaries, they're little more than glorified thugs."

"Didn't you talk with command about it?" Alex asked.

"Yes, but they said if we were going to capture a Gundam, we would need all the help we can get." Kati sighed, the door banged open, "Ugh, here he is now."

"Well would you look at this? Quite the little crew we got up in here." Ali leered, sauntering up to Alex and Andrea. "Not every day I get to share the same skies as the legendary Silver Spider." His gaze then shifted to Andrea, "And it seems an angel is among us. What's your name, sweetheart? I'm Gary Biaggi." He ran his fingers along her face.

"And I'm not interested!" Andrea hissed, the playfulness gone from her voice. The atmosphere in the room was tense. It seemed Ali would strike Andrea. Patrick was ready to spring up and play hero, figuring he could impress both Andrea and Kati. Alex beat him to the punch, stepped in front of the women, and giving his best glare.

"I suggest you back away from my sister very slowly, Mr. Biaggi." His voice was ice cold, "VERY slowly!" His hand went down to his sidearm for emphasis. An old school German Luger belonging to an ancestor that served in World War II.

Ali held his hands up defensively, "Hey, just trying to build a sense of solidarity. Our real enemy is this Celestial Being whatever and those Gundam whatcmacallits. I've got a nice big bonus riding on us capturing one of them. Certainly you want to keep your superiors happy as well, Colonel?"

"We're not in it for the money or the glory. We're here to do a job. Briefing will be at 0800 hours tomorrow morning. Be there, Mr. Biaggi, and clean yourself up. I don't want you coming looking like a slob." Alex said. Ali gave a mocking salute and sauntered out of the lounge. Leaving the four regular AEU officers behind.

"We have to work with him the whole time we're here? He's a total creep!" Andrea folded her arms across her chest, shivering slightly.

"A feeling I share completely, Major," Kati replied. "That man is bad news. The minute he walked into the conference room, I got a very unsettling feeling from him."

"You have no idea how right you are, Colonel." Alex said, removing his helmet to everyone's surprise. "That man is an emotional sinkhole. Nothing exists in his heart but bloodlust and greed. He's driven purely by a love of fighting and money. And even the latter is dubious at best."

"How do you know that?" Patrick asked. Kati was also curious. Alex closed his eyes, he hadn't wanted to tell anyone, but it couldn't be avoided.

"I'll spare you the details. The short version is that I underwent some…special enhancements as a child, designed to better help me cope with performing in space. As a result, I've become empathic. I can't straight up read people's thoughts, but their emotions are very clear to me. A guy like Mr. Biaggi is especially clear. He likes causing mayhem and destruction wherever he goes. I'd advise all of you to be very careful when you're around him alone."

"Why do you wear the mask?" Kati asked. Alex held it u in the afternoon sunlight, gazing into the one-way glass of the eyeholes. The light reflected off the hawkish visage of the mask.

I wear the mask because it's made of a special material capable of blocking out people's thoughts. I can filter out all the chatter on my own well enough, but in the heat of combat I can't afford to have to focus on fighting and keeping my head limited to my own thoughts and feelings. With the mask it's one less thing I have to worry about." He put the helmet back on.

"Not many people know about my abilities. I prefer it be kept that way. So I recommend you keep it to yourselves. That includes you, Lieutenant. If I hear you were blabbing about it. I'll kill you myself." Alex said; making it clear he would carry out the threat. "Andrea, you're going to need your Enact retuned in order to fight the Gundams. The techs will handle everything."

(Human Reform League, Hotel near the Tenchu Pillar)

Feldt was sitting on the bed, looking over the data from Veda about their target. "Republic of Moralia, a small country in southern Europe, founded in 2284. Population is a fairly low 185,000, but three million foreign workers reside within its borders. PMCs account for about twenty percent of the 4,000 private companies. PMC stands for Private Military Company. These contractors deal in deployment of mercenaries, the training of soldiers and weapons development, Transport and logistical support. All based on business models for profit. They only take payment in gold bars, so their services are very expensive."

Sumeragi sat at the desk nearby, just shaking her head in disbelief at how Feldt managed to read the entire entry in just one breath. "You work way too much, Feldt." She finally said.

"Just doing my duty," the pinkette blushed slightly. Picking at her long green skirt. Christina was crashed on the bed next to her.

"Miss Sumeragi, can I ask you something? If Moralia has developed by inviting in the Private Military Companies and giving them favorable treatment, why didn't we target them until now?" She asked, fingering her gift from Anthony, A gesture that didn't escape the busty strategist's notice.

"If the number of conflicts decreased by number, then it wouldn't become profitable anymore." She sighed, looking out at the window at the clear blue sky, "It was hoped they'd just self-destruct on their own."

"Miss Sumeragi, since we're not leaving for Moralia until tomorrow. Can we take some time off until then?" Christina asked. The older woman smiled in bemusement, knowing all too well how the pony-tailed brunette was going to spend her time. So she folded her arms under her breasts and just nodded, causing Chris to squeal in delight. "Thank you!" She grabbed her coworker's arm, "Come on, Feldt! We're going shopping!"

"But I still need to analyze the mission data." Feldt said. Her protests fell on deaf ears. The older girl yanked the hapless pinkette to her feet and bodily pushed her out the door.

"It can wait! The more battles there are, the more inflation will skyrocket. If we want something we need to buy it now!" Christina chirped, "Bye Miss Sumeragi, we're leaving now!" The door closed, muffling any further protests from the youngest member of the _Ptolemaios's_ crew. Feldt would be in for a very long day.

Sumeragi waved to the two girls. "Oh those two, now it's time to find a drink." She said.

(Celestial Being's island hideout)

Exia swooped around, coming to rest near the Dynames. Setsuna emerged from the cockpit sans helmet, descending from his Gundam just as Lockon and Ian walked up. "Hey Setsuna! Great timing, I brought new equipment out for you guys." The crusty old engineer said.

"Presents! Presents!" Haro chirped merrily.

Ian cleared his throat, "I've already outfitted the Dynames with its new GN Full Shield." He then turned to the supply container, "And your new equipment is right over here." A rack extended out, revealing a series of blades very similar to Setsuna's primary weapon. "The GN Blades are made exclusively for the Exia. They use the same compressed GN particles as the GN Sword and can cut through three inches of E-Carbon armor. What do you think?"

"Exia's GN Blades…" Setsuna looked up in awe and respect to the mighty weapons.

"The Gundam Seven Swords. So Exia's living up to its developmental code name?" Lockon remarked. Setsuna then turned, looking back towards his beloved Gundam.

"What gives? I brought them all the way out here and he doesn't say a word? He could be more grateful than that." Ian huffed.

Lockon patted him on the shoulder. "Oh he's plenty grateful, old man. Setsuna is pretty much infatuated with the Exia. He's going to put those new blades to very good use, just watch." He looked up at the sky to see two points of green light, "Alright, the gang's all here."

(Back at the Hotel)

Christina squealed in delight, looking at the massive haul she and Feldt reeled in during their shopping expedition. Bags upon bags of clothes, shoes, and various accessories littered the bed and floor. "I feel great!" She squealed, hugging one of the bags to her chest. Her companion didn't feel the same way.

"I feel tired." The pinkette sighed. For almost six hours the poor girl had been dragged from one end of the mall to the next, going in every store that caught the older woman's eye. As if that wasn't enough, Christina had insisted they try on everything. Feldt had been resigned to being her friend's personal model, and she had shown no signs of stopping.

"This top is nice, Feldt! How about this one!" Christina gushed, holding up a couple of shirts and blouses in front of the young technician to see how they'd look on her. "Oh you're going to look so good!" Feldt just moaned softly. "Aw, come on, don't be a party pooper!"

"Just let me sleep." Feldt whined. Her friend smiled, giving the younger girl a sisterly kiss on the forehead. "Okay, I won't harass you anymore…today. But I'm going to make you look fashionable one way or another, Miss Grace. You're just starting to grow into a lovely young woman, and you need to show off just how wonderful you really are! I know that all too well."

Feldt blushed a little at the comment. Having been raised in the shadowy environment of Celestial Being, she had little social contact. It wasn't until she met the vivacious Christina that the girl had seen the world outside of the organization's asteroid headquarters. "T-thanks." She whispered softly. She changed into her pajamas, crawling into bed. The ponytailed brunette pulled up the blankets around her.

"Good night, Feldt. Sweet dreams." Christina whispered. The pinkette's lips twitched upwards just a tiny bit, and sleep finally came to her.

Christina giggled, trying not to wake up her friend. The door slowly swung open, letting the hall lights paint the walls. She looked over her shoulder to see Sumeragi poking her head in. "She asleep?" She whispered, "Come on…let's go down to the bar, I don't want to disturb her." The two headed down to one of the restaurants in the hotel. "Bring me a vodka martini, and a ginger ale for my friend here. Do be quick, neither of us likes being kept waiting." She said to the waiter, giving him an alluring smile.

The bartender gave a cheerful grin, "Anything for a pair of gorgeous ladies." He said.

"Thanks." Christina said to the waiter. "So what's up?" Sumeragi leaned forward; elegant fingers brushing against the ring Anthony had given her. "Hey!"

"Sorry, couldn't help but notice how attached you are to that ring. Where did you get it from?" She asked.

Christina fingered the piece of jewelry again, her cheeks turning bright red. "Well…I got it from a real cute guy I met a few months back on the linear train before the Taribian operation." She gazed down into her drink. "We really hit it off and he took me out on a date a couple of weeks ago."

Sumeragi curled a delicate eyebrow, "Oh really? You met a cute guy and didn't tell me? I'm hurt, Chris. I thought we shared everything. So tell me about this guy."

"Well, his name is Anthony Russo. He's very kind." Christina said, her voice turning dreamy as she thought about the man who captured her heart. "He's got the most gorgeous green eyes; I could stare at them for hours. And get ready for this…he's a doctor!" Sumeragi's grin went from ear to ear, she was genuinely happy that one of her people had found someone.

"Christina, I'm honestly happy for you. It's wonderful you've managed to find somebody. Think I'll get to meet him someday?" Sumeragi said, sipping her martini.

"I hope so. He'd be in for a real shock if he knew what my day job was like." She said. Sumeragi held Christina's hand, giving a reassuring squeeze, "Thanks for the drink, Sumeragi. I think it's time I got to bed. Want to be fresh for tomorrow."

"I'll drink to that!" the forecaster said, clinking their glasses together.

(PMC Trust General Headquarters, Moralia)

Ali Al-Saachez whistled with approval as he looked out at the numerous rows of mobile suits lined up on the tarmac. Such a sight was heaven to the grungy looking soldier for hire. Almost half of the force consisted of the AEU-05G Hellion Ground Type, painted in the dark black of the PMC Trust Forces, while the rest were painted in the red colors of the Moralian military, only a small fraction were of the dark green of the AEU Armed Forces themselves. What stood out the most were the newest machines standing at the head of the amassed army. The AEU council had caved and sent a squadron of brand new AEU-09 Enacts to reinforce the troops, their brilliant green paint jobs reflecting in the morning sun.

The three machines of the AEU's Anti Gundam Team were easy to pick out. Andrea's AEU-09T Enact Commander Type was painted in the spotless, pristine white she preferred. Alex and Patrick's machines were both a brilliant silver, the color Alex decided all the rest of the team's units would be painted in. the Enact in the middle held a long barreled linear sniper rifle, a black outline of a spider emblazoned on its left shoulder.

"Pretty maidens all lined up in a row. I never imagined the AEU would take part." He drawled to one of the senior PMC officials. "I guess they really are serious about taking on Celestial Being to have sent these kinds of numbers to back us up."

The man in the blue uniform shrugged, "The fruit of diplomatic efforts. We can't always get the short end of the stick. Come on…I was told to show you this." He led Ali into one of the hangers. Ali noticed a squadron of Enacts, including a Commander Type, in PMC Trust black. The lights came up on another Enact, painted in a brilliant dark blue.

"An Enact? I'm flattered." He said. "Doesn't quite look like the standard model I saw, or even Commander Strassmeier's custom unit."

The official nodded, "It was an early developmental model of the Enact, but the company's engineering branch tuned it up just for you. The engines have been modified to deliver greater thrust, and the linear rifle has a sonic blade built into it so it can be used as a bayonet to supplement your melee skills."

"You want me to defeat the Gundams with this?" Ali asked, looking over the machine with an appraising eye. It was sleek and deadly, just perfect in his eyes.

"You misunderstand, Mr. Al Saachez. We don't just want you to defeat a Gundam, we want you to capture it as well!" He said. "The wealth of secrets we could learn from studying it, what it would do for our boys in R&D. Our profits would go through the roof!"

Ali snorted derisively, "Easier said than done. I met with the AEU's Anti-Gundam Task Force earlier, and they weren't exactly very friendly to me."

"Oh, don't worry about them. You will be paid quite well for your services." The official said. Ali whistled, stepping forward to run his hands along the shining blue armor.

"Well, that is certainly tempting indeed. You can never have too much money in this life. And I get a new toy to play with as well." He grinned, a greedy gleam in his dark eyes. "Alright, I always did love a challenge. Let the games begin!"

(Unknown Location)

"Moralia..." Reaper sighed adjusting his gloves, "PMCs are nothing but Scumbag soldiers for hire." then remembering his special someone he calmed, "What's our mission captain?"

Nathan pushed up his glasses."The usual suspects. Shadow the other Gundams, offer assistance if necessary. I get the feeling we're not going to be able to avoid being seen in this one."

"Any secondary objectives?" Hawk asked.

"There is one in particular…" Nathan replied, checking the report, "Our intel states that the AEU's new Anti-Gundam squadron is going to be present as well. That means the Silver Spider will be present. I want you to assess the combat status of the team itself and Colonel Strassmeier's overall threat level."

Reaper leaned forward slightly, the dim light reflecting off his own glasses. "I'll test him. One super soldier to another."

Nathan smirked. "You seem awfully eager."

"It's been awhile since I had a true fight." Reaper admitted, "At least one where being compromised isn't an issue. Eventually, we all have to put ourselves up against a true opponent. Alex Strassmeier may very well be that person."

Nathan mused about it for a few minutes. "Alright, engage him, but be discrete about it, okay?"

"Understood, Boss." Reaper replied and left the briefing room without a single word. The time for discussion had come to an end. All that remained…was the war to come.

(HRL, Wang Liu Mei's estate)

It was to be the first day of the joint wargames between the AEU, Moralian, and PMC Trust forces, but everyone on both sides knew it was really a trap to lure out Celestial Being and the Gundams. Sumeragi stood in the living room, both Feldt and Christina manning consoles in front of her.

The screens blinked to life, showing a satellite map of Moralia, Flashing troop positions and movements, "These are the positions of where the Moralian and AEU forces have been deployed," Hong Long explained.

"Not to mention the PMC Trust forces…and it's in real time no less. I see someone's been busy." Sumeragi flashed a smirk towards Christina. Feldt's eyes widened.

"When did you find the time to hack this?" Feldt asked her friend. Christina gave her usual playful smile.

"Oh, just before breakfast, no biggie!" She replied with a playful wink, acting as if she hacked into secure military battle networks on a regular basis. Sumeragi smirked again before folding her arms across her ample chest. The very revealing purple top she was barely wearing seemed ready to explode at any second.

"The operation will commence at 0000 hours as scheduled. We're going to target everything that's hostile to us and send a big message." Sumeragi said. Her eyes and voice became steely, reflecting the gaze of a veteran commander. "Feldt…Start the clock." She closed her eyes as the pinkette nodded, and a timer started counting down.

"The Gundams have entered Moralian airspace, will reach the combat zone in five minutes!" Christina reported. The timer hit zero with a soft beep. Sumeragi's eyes snapped open.

"Commence operation!" Came the order.

(Moralia's Western Boarder)

A lone Moralian Hellion on patrol spotted four points of light. "Visual confirmation of Gundams at point 84576! All units prepare for attack!" The pilot reported. At every military base across the country, pilots scrambled to board their mobile suits. Despite the overwhelming firepower the AEU had brought to bear, many were afraid of going up against the four mechanical titans.

But for one squadron, they were more than ready to answer the call of duty. Alex blinked as the pilot seat swiveled in the cockpit shaped like a drum. Because of how both the Flag and Enact were constructed, the cockpit contained a special seat to help cut down on G-forces, letting the pilot sit in a laying down position, the seat would rotate depending on what mode the machine was in.

"Alright team, this is what we've trained for. Let's get up there and do the Advanced European Union proud." Alex commanded.

"Roger that!" Both Andrea and Patrick replied, the latter with far more enthusiasm he should have.

"You do it for your country, I'll do it for the money I've been promised, remember that, Colonel." Ali sneered.

The Silver Spider frowned at the unofficial fourth member of his squadron. Everything about the mercenary had rubbed him the wrong way, from his unkempt hair to the smug, oily tone in his voice. Half the time, he wasn't sure about "Mr. Biaggi's" intentions. He had shadowed him off and on for the past week, trying to discern his motives, but Ali had been able to elude him at every turn.

_I don't have time to worry about that right now. The Gundams are attacking my countrymen and I'm not going to let them have their way any longer! He thought to himself, sealing up his silver helmet. _

"Anti-Gundam Squadron, launch!" He ordered. The four machines leapt up into the brilliant blue sky, racing towards the engagement zone.

(Skies above Western Moralia)

"Alright, the enemy has spotted us. All machines act according to the mission plan and keep the coded lines open. Expect any revisions to come from Miss Sumeragi. Okay boys, let's get cracking!" Lockon ordered.

"Roger that." The other Meisters acknowledged. The four Gundams spilt off in different directions towards their respective targets with the intention to cause as much damage as possible and send a message to the AEU why Celestial Being isn't to be trifled with, just as they did with the Union in Taribia.

Kyrios banked left, engaging a squadron of Moralian Hellions heading towards him. "Kyrios, engaging targets!" Allelujah intoned. He looked sadly at the engaging red machines. "I'm sorry, I know you're just trying to protect your home land. But this can't be allowed to go on." He said, numerous targeting reticules locking onto the mobile suits. "Firing!"

A barrage of missiles lanced out from the Kyrios's tail unit, splashing the hapless Moralian and AEU troops. A few of the AEU Hellions tried to get out of the line of fire, but the missiles all found their targets. "Kyrios reporting, target eliminated." He said, heading towards another group of Moralian mobile suits.

The Hellion was a good, solid machine, the AEU had produced them by the thousand and sold them to any nation who had the money to buy them, but in the face of a powerhouse like the GN-003 Gundam Kyrios, they were screwed.

"Reminds me of that one show with the guy wearing the redshirt who always got himself killed!" Hallelujah snarked from the reaches of his mind. His saner half ignored the mocking voice, firing his beam rifle at the Hellions, aiming for wings, so as to give the pilot a chance at ejecting.

He was about to go after another squadron of green AEU units when a feeling built up in the back of his head "Not again!" He groaned, not needing this at such a time, but he noticed a significant difference this time around, "It's not like before…it's like a cool breeze on a warm day." He whipped his head around, quickly banking Kyrios out of the line of fire from a few of the Hellions, opening fire with the beam rifle, and spearing every one of them.

His lone visible eye widened in surprise, "Amazing! I've never felt this way before. It's like…I'm being boosted somehow!" Allelujah couldn't explain it, but he felt a rise in all of his combat abilities, his reflexes became clearer and faster, and Kyrios itself seemed faster. The orange and white Gundam continued to soar through the skies, downing Hellions with a single strike.

His senses then spiked again, unlike another feeling started building in the back of his head. "What is this, are all the weirdoes out here today?" Allelujah groaned in surprise.

"Get out of the way Allelujah!" Lockon's voice brought him back to his senses. The Kyrios barely avoided getting hit by a 155mm shell that could have torn through the Gundam's right wing.

He barely evaded the first round when a second shell whizzed by his head. "What was that? It wasn't like the regular linear rounds fired by the Hellions it was much faster! A sniper?" He said, madly looking around for the source of the attack. He didn't have to look far. A silver Enact was racing towards him in mobile suit mode, clenched in its right hand was a rifle nearly as long as the Dynames's main weapon.

His radio crackled to life, "Alright Gundam, you've had your fun. But now it's time to raise the stakes." A voice spoke. It was a cultured, refined voice, colored with the slightest German accent. The Enact pointed its weapon in challenge at the Kyrios.

In the cockpit of his new Custom Enact, Alex appraised his opponent with an icy stare. This was a different model from the one he had tangled with in Africa, and it could transform into a fast, mobile form much like his own machine. "Unlike you, I fight for a real cause. The ones who survive are those for fight for their convictions!" He stated, opening fire with the regular barrel of his combo rifle.

(Moralian Outpost 17B)

Dynames engaged a platoon of PMC Hellion Ground Types, opening fire with the beam rifle. "I don't even have to use the targeting." Lockon smirked, plugging one target after another.

"Fire!" the squadron commander barked, the linear shells streaked in from all directions, but they just pinged off the Gundam's composite armor. And for their trouble, were met with several more shots from the giant rifle, felling several of the PMC troopers.

"Target coming from behind! Target coming from behind!" Haro chirped. Dynames's free hand pulled out one of the GN Handguns, aiming at the machines trying to sneak up from behind.

The sniper Gundam opened fire with both weapons, and to the remaining AEU forces, it seemed like nothing could stop him. Their prayers were answered when a barrage of linear projectiles rained down from the ground. Lockon looked up to see who was attacking him and he saw an Enact painted in a brilliant white swoop in for a landing. "A new model? Judging from the paint job, this pilot must be an ace!"

"Alright, Gundam, enough of picking on the small fry. Here on out it's you and me!" Andrea said, snapping up her rifle and letting loose with a spray of 120mm shells, Dynames ducked behind a bunker, stowing its sniper rifle and pulling out the two GN beam pistols. Pink and light blue streaks started zipping back and forth.

"This is Lockon. I've gotten involved in a battle with one of the AEU's new models. This pilot's a cut above the norm!" The Irish sniper said. "A persistent one at that!" The white Enact moved with a dancer's fluid grace, bobbing and weaving through the green's Gundam's shots, at the same time pulling off several agile aerial maneuvers even Haro had trouble keeping track of. Lockon had completely forgone his beam rifle, trying to keep up with Andrea.

"Hey Tieria, you having any trouble on your end?" Lockon called to his partner.

Across the base, the bespectacled Gundam Meister just gave a slight grunt of annoyance as he used his machine's primary weapon to blow away another hapless group of mobile suits. "Not really, I'm rather disappointed with the quality of these PMC troops. I figured they'd be better trained."

The pilot of Virtue looked on impassively as he mowed down several of the Ground Type Hellions. Tieria bore no personal grudge against the AEU forces, but there was a mission to be done. His radar beeped, signifying a new round of enemies coming towards them.

"They're being led by one of those new models. He must be one of their better pilots to rate an Enact." Tieria remarked.

"You're a different model from the last time, but you're still a Gundam. That means you're obviously my enemy!" The Enact swooped in towards Virtue, the remaining Hellions rallying behind the silver machine. Tieria rolled his eyes in annoyance, priming the bazooka to fire a wide spread beam, but to his surprise, the Enact leapt out of the way of the giant magenta beam of death, landing neatly.

"Think I'm going down that easy? Last time was a fluke. I'm going to show you just what the great Patrick Colaseur can do!" The arm compartment snapped open, revealing the Enact's sonic knife. "This time, I know what I'm doing!" the hotheaded young pilot ignited the plasma feed and dove at the heavy Gundam.

Tieria blinked in surprise, bringing out one of Virtue's beam sabers to defend against his foe. "Perhaps I'll have to take you a little more seriously after all." The purple haired Meister remarked.

(South Moralian Line)

Exia was making good use of its new weapons, showing why it had been dubbed with the name of "Seven Swords." It was currently making use of both the GN Sword and the GN Long Blade to cleave through more of the PMC Hellions. The slender machine moved with a fluid grace, leaping high into the sky to evade the spray of shells from the enemy units.

The white and blue Gundam came down, using its mighty weapons to hack off the heads of his foes, causing them to fall over. Another Hellion pulled out its sonic blade, looking to stab Exia, but faster than anyone could react, Setsuna whipped one of the swords around, relieving the Hellion of its arm, before following up by slashing off its head. Four more of the PMC mobile suits tried to their luck.

Setsuna rolled his eyes in annoyance, stowing the GN Long Sword and switching over to the beam daggers and burying them into two of his attackers. And then using the regular beam sabers to cleave the last two clean in half. "Exia, Phase One complete." He reported in a dull monotone. His alarm started madly beeping, and a spray of 120mm shells pelted the ground near him.

He looked up to see the source of the attack, a new AEU Enact in a brilliant blue. Exia skimmed along the ground, madly evading the rounds, but several pinged on the Gundam's armor. No matter what Setsuna did to try and evade, the Enact was in his face, not giving him a chance for a counterattack.

"He's reading my moves!" The Kurdish Gundam Meister said. "Who is this guy?" The Enact body-checked Exia, and the Gundam was knocked off it feet sprawling along the ground through the dirt. The AEU machine circled around, looking down on its opponent.

"Hmph! Nice machine! I can't say much about the pilot though!" A deep voice remarked. Exia struggled to get back on its feet, "What do you say Mr. Gundam? You're interfering in my business!" Ali appraised his target. He had to admit the machine certainly looked impressive, the numerous blades hanging all along the mobile suit would make him a challenging opponent. He envisioned taking it out for a spin if he beat it. "I've got a bonus riding on this!" The voice stated, the blue mobile suit kicking Exia back.

"No…it couldn't be…him!" Setsuna said, a cold chill went down his back, triggering memories long buried in the depths of his mind. Memories of a life he wished could be just a horrible dream, a memory of a man who had promised him the world and lied to him. Setsuna's hands tightened around Exia's control grips. He didn't want to admit it, but the pilot of the Enact was one he was intimately familiar with.

"It is him…Ali Al-Saachez!" Setsuna said, his face twisting into a grimace of pure rage. No one else but the man who had taught him everything he knew about fighting would have been able to read his moves so clearly, be able to block and counter at every turn.

In the cockpit of the PMC tuned Enact, Ali smirked widely, "Well Gundam…you're mine!"

Back in the skies, Allelujah continued his duel with the Silver Spider. "Wow…he really is good!" The orange suited Meister remarked. Even with the mysterious boost, he was still having problems with Alex's raw skill. He was truly skilled, not just as a mobile suit pilot, but as an aviator as well. In his experienced hands, the Custom Enact was able to match evenly against the orange and white Gundam.

"I'm a bit disappointed. I expected more from the likes of a transformable machine like that." The Spider remarked, constantly switching in and out between mobile suit and fighter mode. The Enact's rifle sprayed the Kyrios with electromagnetically charged lead, leaving several small dents along the armor.

"Damn it, I can't even get a hit on him!" Allelujah despaired; trying in vain to get a bead on the AEU machine, moving so fast it appeared to be a silver streak. The magenta beams kept coming, and finally he managed to score a pair of hits, one hitting on the wing, the other getting the Enact on the foot.

The young Colonel from Berlin's Enact flipped into mobile suit mode, igniting a plasma blade. The orange suited Meister ignited his own fiery weapon, the two swords intersected. "Probably not my smartest idea, but I have to keep this guy on the defensive and I don't want to get caught on the wrong end of those beams he firing!"

They were deadlocked before another beam, this one twice the size of any Kyrios had ever fired, lanced from the sky, forcing the two machines apart. Both Alex and Allelujah couldn't believe their eyes at the source of the attack as another fighter roared towards them.

It was an even bigger shock to the super soldier, when he realized just what the fighter was as it changed into a mobile suit he realized all too well, since he was currently piloting it. "Another…Kyrios?" He didn't want to believe it. Indeed, it was a perfect copy of the GN-003 Gundam Kyrios, down the weapons, but in addition, it also carried a long barreled rifle in its hand.

"Depart from here, Mr. Haptism." A heavily distorted voice spoke, "I'll deal with the Spider, go and help your fellow Meisters." Reluctantly, the Kyrios reverted to mobile armor mode and took off towards where Virtue and Dynames were fighting.

Alex Strassmeier wasn't a man who scared easily, but the sudden appearance of the new machine had caught him completely off guard. "They had a fifth one?" He tried to signal Kati and notify them of the new development but all he got was static. "Damn it, come on and work! What's wrong with this thing?"

"Sorry, Colonel Strassmeier, but I'm afraid all comms have been jammed. No one can hear you or respond." The voice spoke again, now free of the distortion, it had a rich, melodic tone to it. "It's just you and me, two fellow marksman in a battle of wits and rifles!" He hefted the long barreled weapon. "But be warned, Death eventually comes for all of us. It's just a matter of when…and where."

Alex wasn't fazed in the slightest. He just raised his own massive weapon, the tip of the long barrel catching the noontime sun. "My response…Talk is cheap," He replied. No more words needed to be said, the two mobile suits both opened fire, signaling the start of a new battle.

Author's Notes: the Battle of Moralia continues in Part II, The Silver Spider duels the mysterious Reaper, and Setsuna faces down the darkest shadows of his past. Just click that little button labeled "Next" to read on.


	8. Moralia Pt 2

Disclaimer: see the prior chapter.

Saga of the Crimson Fox

By Storm Wolf77415

Moralia pt. 2

Tieria rolled his eyes in annoyance. Most of the forces the Gundams had faced up to this point had been dealt with fairly easily, but this one Enact was proving to be a very difficult foe. He had a fair amount of skill, but what was grating on his nerves so much was that he would not. Shut. Up! Even with the raw power of a GN Drive and all of Virtue's raw firepower at his command. He was no match for Patrick's motor mouth.

The silver Enact had drawn a plasma blade, getting right up in the purple haired Meister's personal space, rendering most of its weaponry useless. "That's right Gundam! Bow before the might of Patrick Colaseur! I'm the greatest ace in all of the AEU baby!" the loud mouthed pilot gloated, swooping in to kick the Virtue.

The purple haired Meister quickly jerked to the right, he avoided the worst of it, but Patrick's Enact still managed to graze Virtue's shoulder. Tieria took the moment to act. He whipped out one of his sabers. One quick swing and Patrick's Enact was short one leg and a wing. He fired at the silver mobile suit with the shoulder cannons, burning off the head.

"Damn it!" Patrick yelled in rage, having no option but to retreat for the moment. "Man…the Colonel's going to have my head!" He whined, upset that he had been denied another shot to prove his worth and impress Andrea. And now he was going to have Alex on his ass for almost trashing the new machine he had been entrusted with.

Tieria watched impassively as Patrick escaped, glad that the annoyance was gone. "Proceeding onto the next phase of the operation." He said. Virtue took off towards the next combat zone. He soon found a group of four Enacts in brilliant PMC black awaiting him. Unlike their compatriots, they didn't wait to get vaporized by Virtue's weapons, surrounding the heavy looking Gundam.

One of the black Enacts swooped around, managing to catch Virtue in the back with a few lucky shots, actually managing to dent the armor. "I take back my earlier comment about the PMC Trust's troops being poorly trained." Tieria said, squeezing off a shot from the shoulder cannons.

"You're ours, Gundam!" The commander of the mobile suit team declared, firing off a few rounds from the linear rifle. "Be careful boys, this thing has real firepower, remember what happened to Colaseur and the other guys."

Two of the Enacts spilt off, trying to surround the Virtue. One drew its plasma blade; the other kept firing the rifle. Tieria flared his GN Field, making the shells glance off the shield, and the blade of synthetic lightning harmless bounced off, causing a flare of sparks.

"This thing is a monster!" One pilot cursed. The PMC Trust squadron was going to find out just how much of a monster a Gundam really was. One Enact leapt forward, plasma blade poised to strike, he ended up taking a faceful of the Virtue's shoulder cannons.

Two more of the mercenary machines attacked together, firing their rifles. They met the same fate. Only one lone Enact remained. "Screw this! I'm out of here!" The pilot said, rocketing into the sky to escape the mechanical demon. Tieria didn't give him a chance. He lined up his crosshairs and fired, destroying the last of the PMC machines.

(Skies over Moralia)

Alex Strassmeier took a lot of pride in a being a soldier of the Advanced European Union. The only thing he took more pride in besides his sense of patriotism was his stark professionalism. He had no need for arrogance or ego. The Silver Spider rolled his eyes at soldiers saying they joined the military looking for a challenge or a worthy opponent. Such things were beneath him.

He scowled in frustration. His foe was proving to be tougher than he expected. Even with all the adjustments made to his Enact, the mysterious dark machine called Gundam was still faster and more maneuverable than he was. The two machines skimmed gracefully through the sky, exchanging sniper rounds. "This guy is definitely no novice. His movements seem so familiar." Alex remarked.

Deciding on a different tack, the silver Enact switched to flight mode, soaring high into the clouds. As the Spider expected, a sleek, dark shape was approaching fast from behind. He banked into an Immelman Turn, looping back around to face his opponent head on. "Eat this!" Alex barked in German, opening fire with both the sniper and regular rifle barrels.

155mm and 120mm shells were flying at Reaper, the two machines swept by each other, just inches apart. Outwardly Alex was the picture of calm, but inside, he was sweating…slightly. "This guy is nuts! He could have taken both of us out!" He said. The black Gundam hovered idly, rifle still in hand.

"I have to admit, Colonel. You've proven to be quite the capable adversary thus far. Can't say I'm surprised, given you are the son of Klaus Strassmeier." His foe's casual remark completely threw off Alex's composure. The Spider froze in his tracks, almost getting a leg blasted off by the black Gundam's powerful rifle.

Reaper's lips twisted into a thin, predatory grin. "You see I'm not someone to mess with, Colonel Strassmeier. My Gundam is named Azrael for a reason." He stowed the rifle, pulling out what appeared to be a long shaft, a brilliant blade of fire ignited, revealing it to be a massive scythe, "And my code name isn't Reaper just because it sounds intimidating!" Alex barely had time to draw his plasma blade before he got bisected in two.

"I…may be in a bit of trouble here!" The Silver Spider said, trying the radio to only get more static. "Damn it! Still being jammed!" Alex knew he would have to get creative if he wanted to stay alive. He parried with the plasma blade before rearing back and kicking Azrael right in the chest, followed up by a right cross to the metallic head.

Alex jammed the accelerator, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Gundam as possible. He raised the rifle and once again started spamming shots as quickly as he could.

(Combat Zone Eight)

Lockon Stratos considered himself a fairly sedate guy, but he found himself becoming rather irritated with his current opponent. The white mobile suit kept zipping left and right across his vision, not giving Dynames's targeting sensors a chance to lock on. The brilliant white Enact kept alternating between flight mode and mobile suit mode, squeezing off rounds to keep Lockon on his toes.

The green clad Meister wasn't even bothering with his rifle, it was too slow to try and hit Andrea's machine. The white suited pilot appraised the situation. "This is getting us nowhere! I've got the advantage in speed and maneuverability, but that armor is just so strong and it seems like none of my rounds are doing a thing to it!"

Andrea whipped out a white sonic knife and went in for an overhead strike on Lockon. Unprepared for the sudden change in tactics, he whipped out a beam saber. The two blades intersected. Dynames's massive metal hand whipped out, striking the Enact in the chest. "I don't do close combat!" He growled, raising his pistols again.

Kati's face came up on the monitor, "How's the situation, Major?" She asked.

"This thing is tougher than I thought, ma'am. It seems like it's just ignoring my shots!" Andrea complained. Kati said nothing.

"I have new orders for you. We lost track of your brother's signal in the northeastern quadrant. There's some very heavy radio jamming in that area. I want you to go and back him up. I've dispatched reinforcements. So be at ease."

A flight of six Enacts in the familiar AEU green soon joined the fray, raining down more shots on the Dynames. "Leave the Gundam to us, Major Strassmeier." The commander said.

Andrea's hands tensed around the controls slightly. While she had all the faith in Alex's skill as a pilot, the old family instinct was starting to rear up in her heart. "Very well, Lieutenant, I'll leave things in your hands and go reinforce my brother." She gave a look to Dynames, "Sorry pal. I guess we'll have to pick up that dance later."

The white Enact sped away, leaving Lockon to deal with the new arrivals. "Well, this is a nice change from the Hellions. Perhaps you boys will put up more of a fight." Lockon remarked, brandishing his pistols. "Alright, let's get this over with!" The AEU unit was more than happy to oblige.

They weren't quite up to Andrea or Alex's level of skill, but they were all veterans and fighting for what they believed in. "Watch your backs, guys, remember what this guy has done already to our comrades!" The six Enacts surrounded the Dynames, weapons primed.

Lockon evaluated his opponents. "It looks like these guys aren't just boasting Haro. Let's give them our best!"

"Roger! Roger!" the orange robotic ball beeped. Two of the AEU machines lunged forward, firing their rifles. Lockon managed to catch one right in the head before whipping around and squeezing two more shots, catching his partner in the chest and in the shoulder. One tried to attack from behind, but Lockon was ready, elbow checking the AEU machine, he turned around, and hit the Enact point blank range.

"Damn you!" The commander said. "I'm not going to risk any more of my men. Retreat for now!" The three remaining Enacts fled. Lockon looked on, unlike Tieria, he wasn't the type to shoot those who were retreating. He was content in knowing they were scared and wouldn't dare set foot on the battlefield again.

Christina's voice buzzed in his ear. "Lockon, go and back up Setsuna. He's come up against some difficult opposition."

(Combat Zone Five)

A maelstrom of searing emotion slowly grew inside Setsuna's heart as he glared at the dark blue Enact standing before him. He still remembered that fateful night eight long years ago, when he marched into his home and gunned down both of his parents to 'prove his worth to God'. He had naively believed Ali's poisonous words of fighting for a divine cause and now his innocence lay dead, along with the bodies of his parents in the simple home they shared. This was the man who had ruined his entire life and now he was going to make sure it ended.

"I didn't think I'd be able to capture you without taking a little damage. Since the rifle doesn't seem to be working, I'll just have to cut you up!" Ali thrust his rifle forward, and a hidden sonic blade popped out from underneath the barrel. Exia raised both of its beam sabers, anticipating its foe's attack. "How's this?" the psychotic mercenary leered, going for a high round kick, swatting Exia's right beam saber clean out of its grip.

"I know that move! He used it against me during training." Setsuna said, recalling Ali deftly sliding to the left and causing him to fall flat on his face. He swung with his other beam saber, aiming for the Enact's right leg, but the Enact's gun bayonet was quicker and the saber joined its brother on the ground. The blue clad Gundam Meister was starting to lose his temper, pulling out the GN Long Blade.

"How many blades does that thing have?" Ali scowled in exasperation. "Well, you know what? I can read your moves before you even make them!" The Enact rushed Exia. Both two mobile suits madly swung their blades about, trying to get a hit on the other. The weapons locked, both Exia and the Enact were eye to eye. "Is this all you have, Gundam? Things were getting so interesting too!"

Setsuna's rage finally hit its boiling point, the pained memory of his mother desperate plea to stop frozen in an eternal playback in his mind. Setsuna roared in mad rage, the Exia's GN Condenser flared to life with a brilliant green light. The GN Sword began pushing back Ali's blade, even starting to cut through it. "What?" The mercenary gasped in surprise, leaping back to avoid losing more than his weapon. The now destroyed rifle clattered to the ground in two pieces. Ali smirked in delight, "This Gundam is more powerful than I thought it was! I'm really curious to get behind the controls of one of these things now!" He remarked. He then noticed a flickering light emanating from above the large V-fin on the head.

"He's signaling to me, wants me to come out of my cockpit? Has he lost his mind?" Ali wondered, but then to his shock he noticed the Exia's hatch open up, revealing a figure in a light blue flight suit with a darkened visor. "He's really serious! He's actually coming out! Look at the size of him! That pilot's just a damn kid!" Ali started laughing in dark mirth. "Okay…I'll bite. If just to learn who it is I'm fighting!" He powered down his cockpit, letting the pilot seat fold out of the drum cockpit.

He yanked his helmet off, letting the thick mane fall out. "Well Mr. Silent Gundam pilot, is this what you wanted?" He jeered, running a hand through his hair. The blue figure's arm shot up, a loaded pistol in hand, but Ali was quick to draw his own weapon as well. "What the hell is this? Is this all you called me out for? At least show me your face!" Ali laughed.

Setsuna's rage hit its boiling point, the pained memory of his mother desperate plea to stop frozen in an eternal playback in his mind. Two fingers curled around triggers, one or way or another someone was about to die, and then Dynames came over the nearby hill, firing a single round from its sniper rifle. The beam flew between the two machines.

"You missed! You missed!" Haro protested to Lockon. He had finished disposing of the enemy forces in his combat area when he got the report Setsuna was facing a tough opponent and went to offer back up. He had nearly had a heart attack upon seeing Exia's cockpit open up.

"On purpose, I could have hit Setsuna!" The green suited Meister rolled his eyes, squeezing off a few more rounds. Ali used the momentary distraction to retreat back into his Enact, quickly powering up the systems. "He's moving, I'm taking him out!" Lockon fired again, but the Enact leaned back, letting the beams just barely graze him, it dipped back behind a hill before flying away, in jet mode. "Damn it." Lockon remarked. The two Gundams were left alone.

Sumeragi's angry face appeared on Exia's monitor. "Setsuna, you better have a good explanation for what you just did!" For all the anger and disappointment in her voice, it didn't affect the Kurdish Gundam Meister. His mind was in another place entirely, focused on an unshaven face with a thick mane of brown hair and sinister eyes.

(Combat Zone Three)

Andrea's Enact streaked towards the area with the heaviest radio interference, it was close to her brother's last known position. "Alex, please be okay!" She whispered, throttling the engine and heading to where she hoped he'd be.

The black Gundam Azrael and the silver Enact of the AEU's greatest ace circled about each other, putting on a true clinic of aerial skill and marksmanship. A begrudging respect was starting to build up in Alex's mind. No pilot had ever put him through so much in his entire career. "Whoever he is, I'll admit he's quite good." He squeezed off a quick pair of rounds, "But I'm starting to get tired of this!"

Within Azrael's cockpit, Reaper couldn't help but let the natural exhilaration take hold, angling Azrael up at the sky to avoid getting hit by his opponent's shots. "I am enjoying this! He really is amazing!"

The Gundam and Enact drew their respective melee weapons and locked blades once again. A spray of 120mm shells caused the Azrael and Alex's Enact to separate. The Silver Spider looked to see his sibling's machine racing towards him, he was both relieved and terrified at the prospect of his sister tangling with this guy, no matter how skilled she was.

"Hang on Alex! I'm coming!" Andrea said. The white Enact transformed in midair, and opened fire on the dark machine.

"Andrea, what are you doing here?" The Spider asked.

"I heard you were in trouble, so I came to help." Andrea replied. "Alex, what is that thing?"

"I do not know." He replied plainly. "But be careful. He's a fearsome opponent."

"So reinforcements have arrived? That's my cue to leave to fight another day. You've proven to be quite a worthy opponent. I'm looking forward to the next time we face off in these skies, Colonel." Reaper said, turning to leave.

"Wait just one minute! We're not done here!" Alex snapped. His rifle trained on Azrael's back, "You fly like me, are you from the AEU?"

Reaper snorted, "No…but I do know the nation's tactics. You could say I'm your cousin in a roundabout sort of way. You're not the only modified human flying these skies, Colonel Strassmeier. In your father's personal records, look for a file marked 'SJP-01A'. It will tell you all you need to know."

Azrael transformed back to flight mode and rocketed towards the sky, joined by what appeared to be a Flag to Alex's eyes. The two mobile suits were left alone to look up at the mysterious machines.

"You alright, bro? That guy looked dangerous." Andrea asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, Andrea. It appears that the situation has become that much more serious if there are five Gundams." He replied. The static cleared, a panicked voice coming on the radio.

"This is the CEO of the PMC Trust. The Gundams have advanced through our final defense line. They are heading toward our position. All units converge on headquarters now!" The Strassmeier siblings needed no words, both gave each other a simple nod and raced towards the administration building, hoping they weren't too late.

(Wang Estate)

The Celestial Being support crew watched the monitors with anxious eyes. The operation was fast approaching its end. Sumeragi had to admit she was impressed with the skill of the Meisters and the raw power of the Gundams. According to initial reports, half of the entire joint army group had been wiped out in the span of two hours.

"All Gundams have arrived at the prearranged rendezvous site." Christina reported. Sumeragi's lips pursed together, her arms still folded under her breasts.

"Now commencing Phase 6." Feldt added.

"Alright then, let's wrap this up." The busty brunette replied. It was time to hit the jugular!

(Moralia, river canyon system)

Exia, Dynames, Kyrios, and Virtue soared through a series of narrow canyons in single file. "Why are we flying down here anyway?" Allelujah complained.

"Quit your grumbling!" Lockon replied, "Right now the AEU and its allies are focused on the areas where there's radio interference. We're going to slip through and attack their headquarters straight on, quick and easy! We're counting on your steady hand here, Al." He replied. Dynames brushed up against the side of the canyon. "Hey, be careful will ya?" He snapped at his partner.

"You suck! You suck!" Haro beeped.

"Never mind…" Allelujah did his best to stifle the laughter at the antics of their flight leader's robotic partner. Setsuna paid no mind, instead focusing on Ali's face.

_What is he doing here? Did he join the PMC because he had nowhere else to go? If he did…where is his God now?_ He thought. His insides clenched up once more, not able to get that sadistic leer out of his thoughts. A hail from the Virtue spared him any further anxiety. Tieria's stern glare greeted him. He was clearly not amused with his partner's deliberately exposing himself during the battle with Ali.

"Setsuna F. Seiei. You try any self-absorbed stunts like that again…I'll kill you myself!" The purple suited Meister's voice was colder than space itself; clearly showing it was not an idle threat.

"You would trash a solar reactor?" Setsuna replied, his own voice taking on an icy edge.

Tieria didn't flinch at all with his next words, "In order to protect the secrets of the Gundams and the rest of the organization…Yes I would. This isn't just about you. We all have a stake in this." Neither of them said another word as they rushed towards their target.

"We're twenty one seconds from our target." Allelujah said.

"Roger that, prepare for final phase!" Lockon ordered. The four mighty engines of war shot out of the canyons, descending on the large white building that was the PMC Trust's Central Headquarters. Inside the building, the radars turned red, signaling they were under attack, Hellions in a multitude of colors, led by a few more of the PMC and AEU Enacts started dispersing from the hangers, ready to battle against the invaders.

The Moralian and PMC mobile suits started opening fire with the linear rifles, hoping in vain it would be enough. Against the Gundam's GN particle reinforced armor it was little better than spit wads.

Tieria wasted no time in asserting himself. "Virtue, ready to destroy targets." He intoned before squeezing the trigger. The massive cannon the Gundam wielded as its primary weapon opened fire, followed by the shoulder-mounted cannons a scant few seconds later. The huge magenta column burned through dozens of the resisting machines, leaving a huge black trench across the base.

Lockon surveyed the scene, "Dynames, targeted and ready to fire!" He declared, the green Gundam's shield flipped open, its two GN handguns in hand and started firing at the ground. Every shot was a clean, precise hit, sending one more of the AEU's weapons to the scrap heap.

Kyrios swooped gracefully around the battlefield, flipping into mobile suit mode. "Kyrios, commencing intervention!" Allelujah said, opening fire with the GN submachine gun, plugging several more of the enemy mobile suits, while Dynames continued dropping machines with its beam pistols, dropping a Hellion in PMC colors, blowing off an arm and then taking out a leg with its second shot.

"Exia…eliminating targets." Setsuna replied plainly, pulling out both the GN Long and Short blades before skimming just a few inches off the ground, gracefully slashing and tearing through any mobile suit that was foolish enough to cross its path. A pair of Enacts in AEU green ignited plasma sabers, engaging Exia in close combat, they each attacked from opposite sides, Their glowing blades locking with Exia's own weapons.

A deft flick of the wrist sundered one of the Enacts in two, the other got off easier, losing only a head and an arm.

Kyrios transformed back into mobile suit mode, igniting one of its sabers as it encountered one of the black Enacts the PMC Trust. It cleaved through one machine. Locking blades with the remaining PMC machine.

It was terrifying and thrilling to watch all at the same time, a small group of just four machines taking on a numerically superior force and trashing them. The four stood victorious, the shattered remains of numerous Hellions and Enacts littered at their feet. The only sound came from the crackling flames of burning buildings. The Gundams faced the PMC headquarters, waiting for their next move.

"They're not responding." Allelujah said.

"Are they going to continue…or surrender?" Lockon wondered.

"Easy, they're going to quit." Tieria replied. He was later proved right when they saw a white flare shoot up from the roof, signaling their surrender. The four men all gave satisfied smirks. The mission had been a total success. In the span of five minutes they had destroyed all the forces guarding the PMC Trust's central headquarters. The entire joint army group of the Moralian Armed Forces, the PMC Trust, and the Armed Forces of the Advanced European Union was in ruins. No one in the world could deny the might of Celestial Being and the Gundams now.

"Haro, send word to Miss Sumeragi, tell them we acknowledge the enemy's white flag…Mission Complete!" Lockon said, relishing those last two words.

"Roger! Roger!" The orange ball replied, broadcasting the message.

Far away, a trio of Enacts could only look in anger and frustration.

"No!" Andrea cried in dismay seeing the flare. "We were too late!"

"Oh Man, what a disaster!" Patrick banged his panel in frustration. "This would have never happened if I was there!" Alex paid no attention to his second wingman's ego. He closed his eyes in deep concentration.

"There's nothing we can do now. Celestial Being has won this round, but this is far from over." Alex concluded, already beginning to spin new strategies in the deepest reaches of his mind. "We're going to withdraw team. Let's go home." The Silver Spider and his two wingmen did a shallow bank, heading back for AEU territory.

(Union, Renquist Situation Room)

Everyone assembled could only look slack jawed at the devastation Celestial Being had wrought in Moralia. Four mobile suits had taken on an entire army and completely dominated them. Mark's stony gaze took in all the devastation before making the sign to cut the feed.

"Wow…Can we say Curb Stomp Battle?" Daisuke winced. "That's scary boss. Five minutes and they just annihilated the AEU's entire army group, not to mention curb checking every merc in free Europe." The Crimson Fox said nothing, just getting up from his chair. He stretched a bit before heading back into his office. "Was it something I said? Is it my breath?" He exhaled into his hand. He got up, and tentatively knocked on the door.

"Enter…" came the Fox's muted voice. The younger man poked his head in to see Mark's back to him, looking out the window at the slowly dimming night sky. "Come on in, Daisuke." He said without facing him. He sidled up next to Mark, looking out the window with him, "Something you need?"

"Well, you just got up and left without saying a word. It was…kind of disturbing, Dad." Daisuke said. Mark turned to face his adopted son.

"I'm sorry. It's just seeing what Celestial Being did today made me realize how dangerous they really are." Mark resumed watching the sunset. "I've been charged with protecting the Union against these armed interventions, Daisuke. You what that means? It means having to make the tough decisions. We can't wait for more pilots to be freed up, we need to start building up the squadron and now."

"You aren't talking about…me are you?" Daisuke said. Mark just gave him a look that said 'is there anyone else here I could be referring to?' He started hyperventilating. "You would really want me to become part of the squad? I haven't ever been a mobile suit! Except for…you know." He trailed off, aware that Joshua was still outside and didn't know about Renquist's greatest secret.

"Damn right I would! I need all hands on deck for this one. I wouldn't entrust this kind of responsibility to just anyone you know." Mark said, giving him a fatherly pat on the back. "If I didn't have Graham here, I would have made you the squadron commander instantly. Who cares about nepotism? I believe in you, Daisuke. It's what parents are supposed to do, right?" He smiled warmly.

"Thanks old man!" Daisuke blubbered, forgetting all about protocol to give his foster father a big hug. "I won't fail you, boss. I'll do everything in my power to become every bit the Flag Fighter the others are."

Mark nodded in approval. "I know you'll do the squadron and your country proud, Daisuke. You start pilot training in the morning. In the meantime, continue working with the Professor and Billy." He pulled out a sheet of paper, "Take this to them. I've got some new adjustments I want you guys to make to Graham's Flag, if this works we're going to start applying these customizations to all of the squad's machines when the time comes."

"Yes sir!" Daisuke nodded.

The two exited the office to find an argument had started. Howard had commented about one sided the battle between Celestial Being and the AEU had been and Joshua was acting like charming self.

"I'm just saying that wasn't a battle, it was a slaughter! What's to stop them from doing it to us?" Howard remarked.

"What wrong, little man? Afraid?" Joshua sneered. "The AEU are a bunch of pussies, relying on mercenaries when they should have sent a real soldier to get the job done."

"This is no laughing matter, Edwards!" Darryl snapped. "These Gundams are a real threat! You parade around with that smug attitude and it's going to get you blown to pieces!" Joshua craned his neck to look the NCO in the eye. He was about to make another rude comment when he caught sight of Mark behind him, a stern glare in his eyes. He snorted derisively, before walking off without another word.

"God, he gets on my nerves!" Darryl raged. Ever since the man from Alaska joined the unit, he'd been rubbing everyone the wrong way and the big African-American nearly had strangled him multiple times.

Howard put a calming hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let it go, man. It's not going to do you any good. I shouldn't have opened mouth anyway. I was just begging for a snide comment from him." He looked to Graham. "What are your thoughts about this, sir? Do we have a chance?"

A torrent of emotions ran through Graham's mind. On the one hand, the power of the Gundams and the sheer level of destruction they had wrought intimidated him, but on the other hand, watching the Gundams in battle, so seemingly unstoppable stirred his warrior spirit, a desire to face that power head on and see just what he could do against them. He especially hoped to face the bladed Gundam again. Of all four of the machines, he felt something special when he saw the blue and white mobile suit in action.

"I believe we can do it." The blonde haired ace finally said, a light of fierce determination in his brilliant green eyes. "It won't be easy, but I know we will prevail, just like we always do."

Daisuke immediately perked up at Graham's words, "Damn straight! With Professor Eifman's knowhow, Admiral Lamperouge's strategies and you leading the charge, Graham, we'll win for sure!"

"Indeed, Lieutenant Sanada." Mark said. "In fact…I think you're out of uniform, sailor." He gave a sharp glare to Daisuke before it turned into a wide smile, pulling out a flat looking box from his pocket, putting it into trembling hands. "I think you're long overdue for this, son."

Daisuke wearily opened the lid, revealing the double silver bars of a senior grade Lieutenant. "Is this for real?" He asked. Mark nodded.

"Edwards may be part of this squadron, but you are my adjutant and primary aide. If anyone complains they can take it up with me." The Fox replied, before looking to the rest of the squadron, "Gentlemen, it's getting late. I suggest everyone gets some sleep. It's going to get busy from here on out." The four remaining Flag Fighters saluted and dispersed back to the barracks. Mark went back into his office and closed the door behind him, locking it. He sat down and turned to look back on the now dark night sky.


	9. La Edenra Strike

Disclaimer: see Chapter 1.

Saga of the Crimson Fox

By Storm Wollf77415

La Edenra Strike

The whole world was abuzz of the incredible actions of Celestial Being in Moralia. How four mobile suits single handedly brought the best of the AEU to their knees. The news reported on it for days on end, and how the AEU Council would be able to use this incident as a rallying cry for further militarization. Of course for Saji Crossroad, that was the furthest thing from his mind, as he had to endure something far worse…clothes shopping with Louise.

"Come on, Saji!" The Spanish beauty whined, her long thick blonde hair bouncing about as she skipped down the sidewalk. "If we don't pick up the pace we'll miss the best deals!"

"Coming!" Saji huffed, lugging all of the shopping bags Louise had accumulated. "Well…at least I'm getting my exercise!" He remarked. There were times he wondered if such a high maintenance girl like Louise was right for him if all he had to look forward to was hauling shopping bags around. "Where are we going next, Louise?"

"Oh, to look at clothes! And then some more clothes, and then maybe shoes…and then some more clothes!" Louise giggled. She had barely taken a single step when the entire street was ripped apart by a colossal explosion. Saji dropped the bags and ran to his girlfriend. Louise was shaking all over as he slowly helped her up. They saw the source of the explosion, the blackened remains of a bus. Other bystanders cried out that it was a terrorist attack. The two teenagers looked at each other in panic and ran as fast as they could back to Saji's home.

(Union Air Space)

In six other cities across the world, similar bombings occurred. A terrorist group calling themselves "La Edenra" accepted responsibility for the bombings, proclaiming they would continue their campaign until Celestial Being quit its armed interventions. The intelligence agencies and militaries of the three blocs were already racing to uncover whatever hole they were hiding in.

The four Flags of the Anti-Gundam Task Force soared through the skies, tearing over the expanse the American Midwest. "It's a nice day for flying, isn't it boys?" Graham remarked. "I couldn't stand sitting around the base while this was happening!"

"Got that right!" Howard replied.

"Anything's better than sitting around Hillbilly Central!" Joshua huffed. The last few weeks had been unbearable for the hotshot from Alaska. He hadn't adjusted well to being stationed in the back end of United States, and not having indoor plumbing. One time he had gone out into the woods to do his business and he encountered an actual bear…a very hungry bear at that. Joshua had to run for it before he became dinner. He had to endure the humiliation of running across the base with his pants hanging around his ankles. Both Howard and Darryl had gotten a quite a few good laughs from it.

Mark and Rick had been merciless in disciplining him, but anyone who knew the two senior officers well enough could see they were trying to stifle their laughter.

"What do you think the higher ups are going to do about this?" Darryl asked.

"I have no idea," Graham said, "It's not our place to determine that. Our job is to carry out those orders. I doubt we're even going to deal with La Edenra." The four pilots continued on in silence, looping back towards the base.

(Celestial Being's Island HQ)

As far as Celestial Being itself went, The Gundam Meisters and the rest of the Ptolemaios crew hadn't taken news of the attacks lightly, and so had relegated themselves to lying low at their earthbound camp. Wang Liu Mei had provided the use of her private yacht for Sumeragi and the girls to travel on to meet with the Meisters.

"Why are you girls all dressed like that?" Allelujah asked in disbelief.

Sumeragi put a hand on her hip, "It's camouflage, silly! No one would expect a yacht with three beautiful women on board." The tactical forecaster smirked. Feldt blushed slightly at being called beautiful. She was a little uncomfortable in the new swimsuit Christina had bought her, a two-piece with a green top and blue boyleg bottoms. The pinkette preferred the one piece she had worn the last time she was on Earth.

"And this is my favorite style!" Christina added playfully. She had on a peach colored bikini that did little to hide her gorgeous hourglass shaped figure. A very tight green t-shirt with a yellow cat's face tied at the waist covered her upper body, clearly outlining her curvy, hips and revealing long creamy legs with a pair of pink sandals on her feet.

"Christina sexy! Christina sexy!" Haro replied in its usual happy tone.

"Haro!" She giggled before looking out over the brilliant blue ocean. I wonder what Anthony is doing right now? Is he safe? She thought of the man of her heart, the brilliant green eyes and kind smile which always put the programmer at ease. She blushed slightly.

"Do you know how dangerous the situation is?" Allelujah said. Sumeragi stepped forward, hands on her hips.

"Of course I do! But there's nothing any of us can do about it until Wang Liu Mei hears back from her agents." She sighed, fanning herself. "Oh, it's so hot…we got any cold beer?" Sumeragi whined as she settled down on the padded bench. The solemn pilot of the Kyrios just shook his head in frustration. La Edenra had already killed several dozen people and the bloodshed wouldn't stop unless the armed interventions ceased.

Christina came up, "If only we could contact those agents ourselves, maybe we could make a plan of attack." Tieria came forward.

"We're a combat team, it's not our place to know about every part of the organization." Tieria replied. Christina's shoulders slumped a little. She grabbed Feldt by the arm and headed for the bow of the ship away from the others. She pushed her phone into the younger girl's hands.

"What's this about?" Feldt asked, wondering why her friend was posing.

"I want you to take a picture of me!" Christina explained, posing like a model. Feldt said nothing, just snapping the picture. "Thanks, Feldt. You're the best!" She gave the pinkette a sisterly kiss on the forehead before trotting off to her bedroom. She cued up the picture and put it into an email. 'A little present for you wherever you are in the world!' was the message. She keyed in Anthony's number and set it to him. Christina sighed, hoping to see him again soon.

(Unknown location)

Nathan was in the briefing room with his two top pilots. They had also been keeping abreast of La Edenra's activities and they were prepared to launch a strike of their own against one of the network's weapon depots. "So they finally reared their ugly head? We knew it was only a matter of time before someone tried to get us to back down."

"It appears so, boss." Reaper replied. "Whoever these guys are they don't like what Celestial Being stands for."

"My sources tell us that they're an international terrorist network called La Edenra. They want us to disarm in exchange for the lives of the civilians." Nathan snorted. "They're just afraid of what happens if we get our way…They don't want to share the planet! But by taking such aggressive actions means they've marked themselves as a target. The Ptolemy branch will probably attack their camps directly. We'll hit their main weapons depot." Nathan replied.

"Cut them off at the knees." Hawk said, his fingers clenching. "Just give us the order, boss. We'll reduce it to a smoking wreck!"

"That's exactly what I want you boys to do. Level it to the ground and leave nothing left for them to use! Bring these bastards to their knees, to their stomachs, I don't want them to even breathe!" Nathan said, his voice had the same consistency as frozen helium. These attacks had struck a personal chord in the man known as the Steel Fox. The somber atmosphere was undercut as a phone started ringing.

The gray clad Meister pulled out his phone to the consternation of his wingman and superior. Reaper twitched in surprise when he saw the email sent to him, before clicking it off. "Uh…sorry about that, boss. We'll get on it right away." He quickly left the briefing room without a single word. Hawk gave a look to Nathan and followed his partner behind.

"Hey…something you want to share with the rest of us?" He asked the bespectacled pilot as he was putting his pilot suit on.

"What do you mean?" Reaper asked, sealing the airtight zipper.

"Come on dude, you get a call during vital briefing and you just suddenly walk out without any further explanation. That is not like you at all. What is going on here?" Taka asked.

The soft-spoken Meister sighed, "If you really want to know…I met someone down on the planet before the Taribian operation. She's a real looker and just sent me a picture of herself." Reaper pulled out his phone and Hawk whistled, "Wow…of the people you could have met…it was her!" Hawk started laughing, "I'll admit she's got a nice pair of legs!" He said. Reaper gave a stern glare. Hawk held up his hand defensively, "Hey relax man! I'm giving a compliment here! She looks really good."

"Just keep it to yourself alright?" His partner replied, the front and back of his collar starting moving, segments of armor plating started rising up around the back of his neck and up over his head, a dark tinted visor then lowered over his face, locking into position. "Let's move out!" They made their way into the darkened hanger bay, the lights coming up on the Azrael. Reaper looked up at his machine for a few seconds. "You ready, Hawk?" He said to his partner who gave him the thumbs up and boarded his own machine. The Gundam slowly eased out of the hanger and into the black void of space.

Azrael was in mobile armor mode, loaded with a full loadout of penetration type GN bombs and missiles. The La Ednera weapon's depot was a heavily fortified compound and the extra firepower would be required. A couple of seconds later Hawk's machine joined him. A modified Flag painted brilliant white trimmed in dark blue, it was more streamlined than the regular Flag used by the Union, and the rifle was of a far different design. It had extension rails under the wings, carrying the same missiles and bombs the Azrael did. The sleek mobile suit fell into position on Azrael's right wing. "Ready to begin when you are, Reaper." Hawk's voice buzzed on the radio.

"Commence attack," Reaper's voice was almost robotic. The two machines dove into the atmosphere. Their target, a repurposed concrete bunker built in the days of the Cold War. The Azrael would make the initial strike, using the cover of darkness to hide its approach, made easy by the Gundam's dark paint job. "I'm on approach, bomb bay doors opening." He said monotonously. The bottom of the tail unit opened up, revealing dozens of bombs. "Letting them drop!"

Azrael sped low along the ground, letting its deadly cargo hit their target, smashing into a cache of ammo and hitting the left wing of the main compound building. A wall of fire erupted into the night sky. Hawk's Flag swooped in to deliver its cargo next. A pair of GN missiles leapt off the racks and hit the compound directly before banking right and plugging the armory and guard tower. "I'm out!" Hawk said, ejecting the rails.

"Everything's going like clockwork!" Reaper said, banking around to line up on the compound. Smoke and flames rolled out of the bunkers, making it easy for Azrael's targeting computer to spot. "Coming about to finish the job! GN Missiles locked onto target! Reaper, Fox Three!"

The top of the tail unit opened up and the VLS spouted out numerous missiles, raining down on the compound and reducing it to rubble. "And that is how you do it, people!" Hawk smirked in approval. "Not bad, boss. They're not going to be hurting anyone ever again!"

"We're not done yet, we got twelve mobile suits inbound…Hellions from the look of them." Reaper said, "You know I almost feel sorry for the poor schmucks. Let's do what we do best, Hawk!" The Azrael ejected the tail unit and switched into mobile suit mode and settled into the brush. "You set them up, I'll knock 'em down!" Hawk smirked and the Flag took off towards the enemy mobile suits, painted in a deep olive green.

The Hellions all opened fire with their linear rifles, 88mm shells streaking towards the white and blue mobile suit, Hawk smirked, weaving in through the poorly aimed shots.

A formation of three mobile suits pursued the Flag, Hawk made a high speed turn, switching into mobile suit mode. The sleek rifle came up and started firing 120mm shells, catching one with the first salvo. The other two veered in opposite directions in an attempt to catch their foe in the middle, but Hawk was prepared, one of the wrist compartments opened, revealing a long cylindrical shaped object.

"Hah, you're done!" the Hellion pilot crowed, preparing to hit the Flag at close range, to his horror, a blade of frozen fire ignited and he was cut in half. The remaining pilot gaped at the weapon the Flag held, it wasn't a sonic knife, and it wasn't a plasma blade either.

"A b-beam saber!" He choked out. The Hellion promptly turned tail and retreated towards its squadmates, but he barely got two feet before the Flag impaled the older, smaller machine right through the torso. Hawk looked on emotionlessly as the unit slid off the blade and fell a few feet before turning into a conflagration of fire, smoke, and metallic shards. The rest of the Hellions were fast approaching and it was time to finish the job. The Flag shifted back into flight mode and streaked over them.

"Get that bastard!" the unit commander hollered, the remaining Hellions got into three ship formations and bore down on the Flag. "Hah, we got him now!"

They continued streaking over the thick jungle. Hawk smirked, "Reaper…got some souls to send down the River Styx…you know what to do!" An ominous double click was the only reply. The La Edenra commander lined up the Flag in his sights, this monster had killed three of his best men and soon he'd get his revenge. His wingman closed in on both sides. He was about to give the order when they both exploded. He barely caught a glance of a magenta lance taking out another mobile suit.

"A sniper!" the commander said, he immediately began forming a plan. "You three take care of that Flag variant!" The three Hellions sent an acknowledging click and broke off, "As for us, we're going after the sniper! We'll flush him out and finish him off! No one messes with us!" The commander said to the remaining two mobile suits. The two teams broke off.

The La Edenra commander scoured the jungles, looking for the mysterious sniper. "Keep your heads on a swivel, boys. Whoever these people are, they're not rookies. They've already destroyed the depot and taken out half the squadron, stay alert."

"Copy that Boss!" One of his wingman replied, leading out in front. "Wait a second, I'm getting something here…Oh shit!" He screamed, his machine turning into a blossom of fire and ash. An ominous dark shape loomed up from the trees. The commander's eyes widened in stark terror as the sun slowly came up, illuminating the mobile suit's dark armor, Clenched in one hand was a long barreled rifle, in the other a menacing scythe, the magenta blade angrily blazing. The machine truly looked like an instrument of death. There were only three words he could utter.

"It's a Gundam!" His voice quivered in fear, a cold sweat rolling down his face. Never before had he ever seen something like this and never again would he. The Gundam's rifle came up, and the La Edenra commander realized the foolishness of challenging Celestial Being before his life ended with the magenta flash emanating from the tip of the rifle. His Hellion pulverized by the blast. The remaining Hellion attacked Azrael in a rage, pulling out its sonic blade. The Gundam simply sidestepped and swung downwards with the scythe, bisecting the terrorist mobile suit in half.

Reaper looked on impassively as the remains of the Hellion crashed to the jungle floor. He looked over to his partner, who had just finished dispatching the last of his opponents. "Well, I think that's good for a day's work. With their main armory destroyed, they won't be able to launch any more attacks. We can let the other Meisters deal with the rest of network."

(Gundam Island)

Indeed, Reaper's words held true. With the destruction of the bulk of their arsenal La Edenra was forced to give up its attacks and retreat to their various camps scattered across the world. The Union, AEU, and HRL decided they would give Celestial Being a helping hand just this one time, ordering their respective intelligence agencies to give everything they had on the terror network to the shadowy organization. Sumeragi's lips curled into an evil smile as the data rolled in.

She had assembled everyone in Exia's container. The data flowed on the screen; highlighting locations in each of the three blocs. "We have the locations of all La Edenra's main camps. Each of the Meisters will deploy immediately to a specific location around the world and wait for my signal." She addressed everyone. "Meisters, saddle up!" The three men snapped to attention.

The girls watched as the Gundams slowly rose from their slumber. Virtue emerged from the water like a great leviathan while Exia and Dynames rose from their steel crypts The GN Drives started spooling up, the telltale greenish-white particles began flowing out of the thrusters on the mobile suits back. The thrust kicked up dirt and leaves, and the Gundams lifted off. Christina shielded her eyes with her arms, her ponytail whipping around as the Gundams took off into the bright. Feldt just looked on. Watching as the two massive engines of war became specks in the distance.

"So what happens now? Are they any other orders for us?" Christina asked Sumeragi.

The combat strategist just grinned. "No girls, our part in this over, we can leave the rest to the Meisters while we hit the beach." She said.

"Really?" Christina said, looking excited. Sumeragi crossed her arms.

"You know that once this mission is over, we're going back up to space. So you should get in your fun time while you can." She gave the younger girls a knowing smile. Christina didn't need any further prompting. She grabbed Feldt by the arm and two headed for the water to go swimming.

Sumeragi leisurely strolled along the beach, her long brunette locks swaying in the tropical breeze. Her delectable, curvy figure showed through the tight, revealing purple swimsuit she wore. Sumeragi pulled her designer sunglasses down and kicked back in her lounge chair, watching as Feldt donned her pink flippers and a dive mask and went snorkeling. Christina pulled her shirt off, revealing a gorgeous toned body; the peach colored haltertop barely kept her breasts in. She slid on a pair of yellow flippers and joined her friend for a swim.

"Ahh, what a lovely day." She sighed happily, soaking in the rays. Ian walked up alongside her, watching as Feldt and Christina splashed about in the waves.

"Who would have thought the blocs would help us out. So very nice of them isn't it?" the crusty old engineer's sarcasm could have been cut with a knife.

"You realize they're just using us." Sumeragi said.

"But at least it's a step in the right direction," Ian remarked. Sumeragi pulled down her sunglasses to look at him.

"Gotta start somewhere." She said.

(Glasgow, Scotland, Advanced European Union, Azadistan Embassy)

Marina sighed; her trip was starting to go nowhere quick. Her meeting with the English representative had been delayed due to all the terror attacks. She had just finished a conversation with Shirin, talking about how one of the conservative parliament members had been attacked by a group of reformists and how it would only be a matter of time before full-scale riots broke out. It had left her in a bad mood all day. It was an uncharacteristically beautiful day. The raven-haired beauty got up from her desk and left her room.

"Eli, prepare the car." The Princess said to her longtime bodyguard.

"Where are we going, milady?" He asked.

"Just out for a drive. I need some fresh air." She said. Eli bowed slightly and went to prepare the limousine. A few hours later, Marina came out into the warm Scottish air. The sleek black car rolled outside. He got out of the car and opened the door for his princess. She gave him a warm smile and got in, Eli had been her loyal bodyguard since she was a little girl, and was always on hand to provide advice when Shirin wasn't able to.

The car drove down the highway. Marina pondered as she stared out of the window, watching the skyline pass by. It seemed like the entire world was against her, but she had been chosen to become the leader of Azadistan, and nothing would dissuade her from her mission. A spot of yellow flickered out of the corner of her eye, and to her surprise a dark brown sedan roared by, a yellow taxi in pursuit. "What the?" she asked.

Setsuna cursed as he weaved in and out of traffic, he had tracked down a cell of La Edenra operating in the city, but they had gotten the drop on him and ran away, so now he was chasing after them. Nothing was going to stop him from accomplishing his mission. An uncomfortable feeling crawled into the Kurdish Gundam Meister's stomach, remembering a time from long ago. A time in his life he wished he could forget…

(Krugis Republic, 2301)

Setsuna didn't want to believe what Ahmed was saying, their leader had selected him for a "holy mission" and he was clearly excited at the thought of fighting…and dying for the cause. "Stop! You're not going to come back alive!" His small hands grabbed at Ahmed's sleeve, begging him not to go through with it. Ahmed backhanded him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"Are you showing weakness? That's blasphemy against God! You're too soft! I'm going to do it…in the name of God!" Ahmed stomped out the door, leaving the dumbstruck future Meister there to curl up in a ball and softly cry.

Three weeks later, a public square in Ireland was torn apart by an apparent suicide bombing, Setsuna swore never again he would be so weak. It was a few days later that he would see the mysterious mobile suit as it single handedly brought an end to the fighting between the Krugis rebels and Azadistan armed forces.

Shifting back to the present day, Setsuna's face hardened. His fingers curled around the steering wheel. It was people like this that he swore to change the world. They were the worst case of scum, and there was no way in hell he was letting them escape his sight. The taxi continued to pursue the terrorists' getaway vessel. He stopped on an overpass and drew a bead on the sedan. He opened fire, but the bullets just pinged off the bulletproof glass. "Damn it!" He growled slightly, about to hop back into his taxi.

"Hey! What's going on here!" A cop called out from his cruiser. He got out and marched up to the young man, taking note of the weapon in his hand. "What are you doing?"

"Excuse me!" a voice called out. A long limousine rolled up, and a young woman got out. "I apologize for this officer. But he's with me. One of my undercover guards, isn't that right?" She gave a pointed glance to Setsuna. He simply nodded and went to his taxi. The cop could only stand dumbfounded as the two vehicles rolled down the road. He sighed, figuring there was no point in worrying about any longer and went back to his regular patrol.

(Glasgow Park)

Marina watched as the mysterious young man with the unruly dark hair and dark blue jacket climbed out of the taxi. She had been very surprised to see the driver was of Arabic descent. Hard chestnut brown eyes gave her a fierce glare. "I'm sorry, but did I do something wrong? I thought was doing you a favor by stopping that police officer from arresting you." She replied, slipping into her diplomat mode. "I didn't expect to run into one of my countrymen all the way out here. You are from Azadistan, aren't you?"

"No…I'm from Krugis," Was the young man's monotonous reply. His eyes once again were cold and merciless.

Marina's heart clenched. She remembered those dark days, when Azadistan totally decimated the Krugis military and razed the country to the ground, incorporating its territory to increase their strength. It was a dark chapter in her nation's history and she hoped to move on past it. "I'm Marina Ismail," She said.

"My name is Kamal Majirif." Setsuna replied, "If you'll excuse me…your highness. I have work to do. Have a nice evening." He said, turning on his heel to leave, not wanting anymore to do with princess.

"Wait! Wait a minute!" Marina called out, struggling to keep up his with quick strides. "Don't you want to know why I'm here in Scotland?"

"Not really, but I guess you're going to tell me anyway." Setsuna snarked. His cold demeanor put off Marina, but there was something about this young man that said she shouldn't give up on him just yet. So she launched into the reasons for her diplomatic trip.

"I'm sure you know this already, Kamal, but Azadistan is currently divided between those who wish to keep the status quo and those who desire to reform the government. It's caused a lot of bitterness between the two factions. With the regulations on oil we need access to the Solar Energy Relay, the Conservatives don't approve of this measure at all. There's more and more violence every day and it could lead to a full out civil war. If I don't do something to stem the tide soon, then they'll be sure to come."

"You mean Celestial Being?" Setsuna asked.

"Violence is wrong, but Celestial Being is nothing more than a group of fanatics, acting like they're God or something." She said, not aware how her words rubbed Setsuna the wrong way. His hands clenched in anger.

"Death is a natural part of fighting. It can't be helped." He spat out.

"It's just wrong in my eyes that Celestial Being feels the need to resort to violence without trying to talk things over." Marina said. Setsuna's hands clenched. He hit the brick wall, causing her to jump.

"People would still die even while politicians like you continued to talk!" He snapped. It wasn't often that Setsuna lost his temper, but this was hitting just too close to home for his tastes. Marina tried to explain herself but he wasn't finished yet. "Azadistan destroyed Krugis without mercy or consideration to the people's lives they were destroying!"

"We tried to reach a peaceful solution." Marina whimpered, half expecting him to hit her.

"And people still died!" Setsuna replied, his anger out in full force. "It's exactly reasons like that I can't stand politicians! Sitting in an air conditioned room around their little table, chatting about how to settle everything while people are fighting and dying in the streets, being told it's all in the name of God! Where is God in that?" Marina was completely floored by all the rage.

"You…have experienced this tragedy first hand, haven't you?" she asked. "Did you fight in the Solar Wars, Kamal?"

"Yeah, I did." Setsuna said, "I'm still fighting. Even now I still fight. It's all I know how to do." Marina felt her knees give out from underneath her, falling on her rear end as she could look up at this strange young man with such anger and rage in his heart.

"Kamal…Did the Conservatives send you to kill me?" she asked. Accepting in her heart that her time had come. She wouldn't try to resist, there was only regret that she couldn't have done more for her people.

"No, your death wouldn't change a thing about the world. My name isn't Kamal…It's Setsuna F. Seiei. I am a Gundam Meister of Celestial Being. Let it be known, Marina Ismail, if the fighting in Azadistan does continue. You can guarantee we'll be paying them a visit, and we will intervene!" He turned on his heel and stomped off to his taxi, driving away to leave the princess frozen on the spot where she fell, absolutely terrified at the notion she had been with a member of the secretive organization the entire time.

(Outskirts of city)

Setsuna stewed in his emotions, meeting with the Princess had brought up unpleasant memories that left a bad taste in his mouth. The Kurdish Meister took a few deep breaths, trying to banish the thoughts to the back of his mind. He couldn't be weighed down by his past when he had a vital job to do. Setsuna drove out of the city into the wilderness where Exia was stored. "Deactivate optical camouflage! Priority to Setsuna F. Seiei." He issued a command to his wrist control unit, the GN particle field hiding the Gundam flowed away, almost like water washing away dirt.

The taxi sped towards the mobile suit, Setsuna leapt out of the vehicle, grabbing the lift cable and immediately heading into the cockpit. The Gundam lurched into the sky, heading out over the ocean. La Edenra was about to find out they had messed with the wrong big dog, and now Celestial Being was going straight for the jugular.

(HRL, Marshall Islands)

The Virtue flew low over the archipelago. One of La Edenra's main camps was located on the largest island. Tieria had no problem finding the place. He looked on dismissively at the armed thugs lounging about, supremely confident they would have their way and that no one would ever be able to touch them. The heavy looking Gundam's shoulder cannons swiveled into position and fired massive beams of magenta death at their target. None of the terrorists even had time to react as they all met their swift doom.

All that could be seen was a brilliant light before a giant cloud of fire and smoke mushroomed into the sky. Virtue's strike had been clean and precise, almost surgical in how it had attacked its target, but the devastation spoke volumes. The crate caused would last for a long time.

"This is Virtue, the target has been obliterated. Mission complete. I am returning to base." Tieria announced monotonously, to him it was just another day at the office; now that the minor problem was resolved it was to back work as usual. The Virtue turned and left, and all became quiet once again.

(Union, Andes Mountains, Argentina)

Lockon was attacking the second of the terror network's bases, but he wasn't being as nearly cool and professional as his compatriot was. This was the worst kind of scum in his opinion and he sending a message to every other would be terrorist that Celestial Being didn't take kindly to being told what to do by common thugs. Dynames was forgoing its sniper rifle, instead relying on its pair of GN beam pistols to lay down some authority.

The La Edenra operatives had hollowed a cliffside to use for their base, and were firing at the Gundam with assault rifles, which may have well been spitwads against Dynames's GN composite armor. Lockon usually would have thrown out a quip, but he was too angry today. "It's people like you that make me glad for people like me! I'm not holding back today, and you're going to suffer for it!" He continued to unload rounds into the cliff, pulverizing into rubble.

"Mobile suits incoming! Mobile suits incoming!" Haro beeped in its usual annoyingly cute way. A trio of Hellions approached Dynames, but Lockon was in no mood to play. He stowed his pistols and pulled out his trusty rifle.

"It's like I told your buddies just now…" He replied, squeezing off three quick shots, downing each mobile suit with a single hit. "I'm not holding back today…so expect to suffer!" He growled.

(AEU, twenty miles off Scottish Coast)

It didn't take long for Setsuna to find his target. The La Edenra cell was using a merchant vessel to cover their escape, but Exia wasn't about to let them go that easy. "Exia, engaging target!" He said. The GN Blade flipped out. The Gundam crashed onto the deck of the vessel, causing the bow to rise out of the water. A single swing of the blade hacked off the conning tower. Setsuna took a moment to survey his handiwork.

A pair of heavy metal claws burst up through the deck of the stricken freighter, latching onto Exia's legs. "What the?" was all Setsuna had to time to say when he was pulled into the water. He then saw the cause of it, " A mobile armor? It's old, but I'm surprised they even have something like that!" The MAJ-03 Shuichai had been service with the Human Reform League years ago, obsolete by modern standards, it was perfect for a ragtag group like La Edenra. Sadly, it was still junk compared to the likes of Exia.

A pair of metallic pincers opened, almost seeming like the mouth of the beast. Exia's blade swung back into position, chopping the manipulator arms clean off. It launched a barrage of torpedoes at the Gundam, causing a massive geyser to bloom upwards, the pilot of the Shuichai saw Exia's shield float to the bottom of the ocean. "Did that get it? Is it dead?" he asked nervously.

His answer came as the proximity alarm starting screaming; Exia dove down on the hapless mobile armor, GN beam dagger in each hand. Setsuna swung downwards burying both weapons into the mobile armor. He then activated the beam sabers, hacking the remains of the manipulator arms off, letting it float down into the depths where it was crushed by the ocean pressure.

"Exia, target destroyed." Setsuna intoned. The Gundam rose up through the depths, taking off into the evening sky. As the Gundam climbed higher, he saw a passenger jet soaring by. Exia soared over the top of the plane, and whom did he see but Marina, gawking like she couldn't believe her eyes. He gave her a cold expression before heading back to the island, perhaps it was worth looking into his old homeland after all, just to see what was going on…

(Tokyo, Union)

"In international news, La Edenra, the terrorist network that ordered Celestial Being to stand down from its armed interventions was thoroughly destroyed by the very organization they threatened. The attacks were swift and decisive, and it appears there were no survivors after the Gundams were finished." The reporter continued, but Saji paid it no mind. He was too busy looking over to Louise, her eyes glued to the television. Ever since the attack on the bus, she hadn't left his side. All she could do was watch the news come in about the various attacks.

"Hey…you alright?" Saji asked softly. "I know you've been upset since the bombing, but it's over now." He turned off the TV, the screen going dark. "I don't think we need to watch this anymore."

"I'm not alright." Louise whispered, curling up into a ball and sinking in the couch. "I just feel like the whole world is messed up. It's like nowhere is safe." Saji smiled and pulled her into his embrace. Despite being bossy and irritating at times, he couldn't stand there and see her scared and frightened.

"Saji…" Louise blushed.

"It's okay, Louise." He whispered, running his hands through her soft, sunkissed locks. "I'm still not sure about Celestial Being or their motives, but I do have to say they're heroes. Kind of like Batman really, misunderstood, but still trying to do the right thing. I wish I were as strong as they are. That way I could protect you."

Louise giggled. "Oh, does that mean you're going to start dressing up as a bat and fighting crime? I'm flattered!" Both of them started laughing. Her blush returned, "But…I'm glad you're so concerned." The blonde Spanish beauty leaned over and kissed Saji right on the lips. "I love you, Saji Crossroad."

"I love you as well, Louise Halevy." Saji said, feeling his own face warm up. They curled up on the couch together, the TV ignored as they soaked in each other's love.


End file.
